tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76508830595285913912018-05-23T05:05:58.867-07:00Rozalia Project for a Clean OceanOur mission is to protect the ocean.Rozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7650883059528591391.post-50048838962424289202014-06-04T07:01:00.000-07:002014-06-06T05:34:16.966-07:00For a clean and thriving ocean, save the kelp forestsLast week, we did not make it to our planned destination.<br />Last week, we had 2 failures for every success.<br />Last week was a very important week for Rozalia Project, and for me personally.<br /><br />Because, last week, as we dealt with weather that blocked our plans and we set off to master our equipment in preparation for the real objective, I had a revelation.<br /><br /><h4>Kelp is beautiful</h4><div><br /></div>It turns out, I love kelp. Have you seen it outside of the coast of California? I had not, not really. Here in the Gulf of Maine, it's BEAUTIFUL; colorful with purples, yellows and greens and the most incredible motion in the undersea current. Kelp forests are fish nurseries, in fact, for all the time we spent with the ROV in the water last week, the only place we found fish in waters up to 80' was in the kelp forests. Let me repeat, the ONLY place we saw fish was in the kelp forests. We flew the ROV over the top of kelp forests (like helicoptering over the canopy of a rainforest) and we put GoPro cameras down in-between the stalks. In the evenings, we looked up the types of fish we found, learned about the ecosystem around the kelp forests and watched and re-watched the best parts of the videos.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c-lny7JHRcw/U48kYigjX_I/AAAAAAAAA3A/bW-YwX-YkxM/s1600/shotgun_itsAjungleDownThere.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c-lny7JHRcw/U48kYigjX_I/AAAAAAAAA3A/bW-YwX-YkxM/s1600/shotgun_itsAjungleDownThere.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Then, we took our underwater cameras to an area that had been bottom trawled. We do not know the exact date when that had happened but the area was essentially barren. There were a few stalks of kelp growing deep in rocky crevasses and right where the rocks and sand met (and some trash). Otherwise, it looked like a wasteland. We saw 2 fish near the few pieces of kelp that had survived or re-established themselves; only 2 fish.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p8Zc9FieeQY/U48ltLzDcAI/AAAAAAAAA3U/a5l6aV2Eddc/s1600/rock+some+kelp+and+bottle.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p8Zc9FieeQY/U48ltLzDcAI/AAAAAAAAA3U/a5l6aV2Eddc/s1600/rock+some+kelp+and+bottle.jpeg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h4></h4><h4>Deaths that do no good - ban bottom trawling</h4><div><br /></div>That led me to my revelation: bottom trawling does not just need to stop in protected areas, it needs to stop, period. We've been doing some research and simply can't come up with a justification for the level of destruction that bottom trawling causes: we do not just lose the plants, we lose a whole ecosystem - the creatures who depend on the kelp to feed and grow, the creatures in the sediment who need the fish to poop, the big creatures who feed on the little ones and beyond that, bottom trawling scoops up fish, dolphins, whales and turtles who were never meant to die and whose death will not do any good.<br /><br />So, we are going to expand our work. We started Expedition PROTECT to save Cashes Ledge and its kelp forest and ecosystem from a proposal to open 75% of that currently protected area to bottom trawling. And we are still on that. But, we are also going to take on protecting all kelp forests - starting with the ones in the Gulf of Maine. The only way to do that is to completely ban bottom trawling - stop the destruction of the kelp forests and the decimation of whole ecosystems.<br /><h4></h4><h4><br /></h4><h4>Time to pick sides</h4><br />Personally, this is a bit new. Honestly, no one has ever argued against our work with marine debris. The issue may offer lots of opportunity for discussion on whether education, remediation or research is the best way to spend one's time addressing trash in the ocean, but no one has opposed our fundamental message that marine debris is dangerous and bad for the marine environment. This issue, on the other hand, does have sides. There are people who try to downplay the negative effects of bottom trawling by saying that the technology has come a long way, that these fisheries support families and culture. We will have opponents.<br /><br />Bring them on. In the case for or against bottom trawling, I am having a hard time finding arguments for it as a fishing technique. We either take the drastic steps necessary to ban bottom trawling and allow our ocean to thrive or we continue to see planet-wide, long-term loss of shocking proportion, all for the short term benefit of a few large companies and 10 minutes on a plate. People have the choice to do the right thing and adapt to a new reality; the ocean may simply not be able to bounce back - unless we take action to preserve our kelp forests!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GC8KNMHh7Qk/U48kZJgIjBI/AAAAAAAAA3E/KslaidPPONY/s1600/shotgun_kelp-forest-1-fish-purple-coral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GC8KNMHh7Qk/U48kZJgIjBI/AAAAAAAAA3E/KslaidPPONY/s1600/shotgun_kelp-forest-1-fish-purple-coral.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h4></h4><h4>Let's make a difference now</h4><br />It starts now, we have an opportunity in the fall to save Cashes Ledge. I hope you will stand with us and support our work with a donation, with your signature, and with your ability to share and spread the word.<br /><br />For a clean (and thriving) ocean,<br /><br />rzm<br /><br />#kelpingitreal<br />#protecttheoceanRozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7650883059528591391.post-3467741812290949902014-05-28T12:32:00.003-07:002014-05-28T19:16:09.293-07:00Welcome to Expedition PROTECT<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GzAFm31tPN8/U4Y4AbaHlNI/AAAAAAAAA2E/VRdI8Edjlxo/s1600/kelp+forest+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GzAFm31tPN8/U4Y4AbaHlNI/AAAAAAAAA2E/VRdI8Edjlxo/s1600/kelp+forest+copy.jpg" height="250" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Although cool breezes and grey skies may hint at the contrary, summer is in full swing here on </span><i style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">American Promise</i><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">.&nbsp; Hector, our ROV has already taken a dip, each intern has gotten a turn at the helm, and our galley is fully stocked with chips.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Expedition Protect is underway! &nbsp;The inspiration for this expedition comes from the current controversy at Cashes Ledge, an area in the Gulf of Maine that has been under protection since 2002. The Ledge contains the Atlantic seaboard's largest and deepest kelp forest, which serves as a safe haven and nursery for declining ground fish species as well as whales, sea turtles and more.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Come September, NOAA will consider opening the area to bottom trawling.&nbsp; Such a destructive form of fishing has obviously raised some eyebrows, including those of the interns onboard for this expedition.&nbsp; Each member of Expedition Protect hails from New England.&nbsp; We’ve got an environmental chemist, the daughter of a Gloucester fisherman, an environmental engineer, a pre-vet major, and an ocean-cruiser.&nbsp; Each intern joins us with a different point of view, but since each intern feels a personal connection to the ocean, this expedition is a passionate one.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><a href="https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-7eWbBFDp8MQ%2FU4Y3zGyyD4I%2FAAAAAAAAA18%2FSdcSrbRJYPE%2Fs1600%2FExp%2BProtect%2Bat%2BJL.jpg&amp;container=blogger&amp;gadget=a&amp;rewriteMime=image%2F*" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7eWbBFDp8MQ/U4Y3zGyyD4I/AAAAAAAAA18/SdcSrbRJYPE/s1600/Exp+Protect+at+JL.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7eWbBFDp8MQ/U4Y3zGyyD4I/AAAAAAAAA18/SdcSrbRJYPE/s1600/Exp+Protect+at+JL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Earlier this week, <i>American Promise</i></span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> sailed out to Jeffrey’s Ledge, another MPA in the Gulf of Maine.&nbsp; Over a delicious lunch of pesto panini (and potato chips, of course), the crew marveled at the grace of minke whales who were also lunching in the area.&nbsp; Recreational fishing boats buzzed about, whale watching tours wandered up and down the Ledge, and <i>American Promise</i></span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> sailed on, observing the amazing biodiversity and activity within the protected ledge.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Experiences such as this are the perfect example of why such areas need continued protection from commercial fishing.&nbsp; Over the next three weeks, <i>American Promise</i></span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">will be working in the Gulf of Maine on Expedition Protect.&nbsp; To support this expedition, you can make a donation to Rozalia Project, or sign the petition organized by Conservation Law Foundation to keep Cashes Ledge protected.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Check out our videos so far...</span><u style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5C6rPKY95k&amp;list=UUyGuOwTKG35ofRdtruO-qHw" target="_blank">&nbsp;Intro video</a>&nbsp;</u><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">&nbsp;and </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOb4JklLE94&amp;list=UUyGuOwTKG35ofRdtruO-qHw" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;" target="_blank">video from Jeffrey's Ledge</a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">For a Protected Ocean,</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Emma</span></span><br /><div class="p2"><span class="s2"></span></div></div>Rozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7650883059528591391.post-27271894572660519112014-05-22T05:26:00.000-07:002014-05-22T05:26:20.502-07:00Rozalia Project Intern Blog: A Vision of Cleaner Ocean<br /><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><b><i>Stephanie Lee, 2014 intern, comes from Los Angeles and studies Marine Biology at the University of California San Diego.</i></b></span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LUuWtzttS80/U29u6taAjxI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/MSO0mG25pOk/s1600/stephanie+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LUuWtzttS80/U29u6taAjxI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/MSO0mG25pOk/s1600/stephanie+2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">You don’t experience much nature in a big city like Los Angeles. One of the beautiful things about California, however, is that all types of terrain are a car’s ride away from the metropolis. The mountains are my neighbors, the desert is my backyard, and the ocean is a stone's throw away. When you tire of the hustle and bustle of the city, you have many options for getaways. My particular favorite is the beach. Nothing is more relaxing than the push and pull of the waves, the white noise of crashing surfs, and the ocean spray kissing your face. I can stare off into the horizon for hours on end, taking in the beauty and majesty of the Pacific Ocean. &nbsp;</span>It is the perfect pastime for me, except when the thought of marine organisms dying from the pollution crosses my mind. Instead of letting it bother me every time I step onto a sandy beach, I decided to become more familiar with this subject by expanding my horizons. I was not aware of just how much trash gets dumped into the ocean until I volunteered at the Santa Monica Aquarium. It was saddening and enraging to discover that people can get sick from swimming in the ocean after rain falls in Los Angeles due to the chemicals and debris that wash in from the storm drains. If people are negatively affected by the rubbish that flows from the cities, how would the animals feel? There are so many people helping people already, but who helps the organisms that live beneath the waters? The ocean is their home and it’s getting destroyed as a consequence of human development. I hope to gain the knowledge and experience I need to combat this issue through my internship with Rozalia Project this summer. I have a vision of a cleaner ocean in the near future, and I am determined to reach it.&nbsp;</div>Rozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7650883059528591391.post-7795349614098590892014-05-19T03:48:00.001-07:002014-05-19T03:48:33.716-07:00Rozalia Project Intern Blog: Let's be Penguins<div class="p1"><span class="s1"><b><i>2014 Intern, Katherine Sullivan, lives near American Promise's expedition base in Kittery, ME. She is a small business owner and teaches Marine Biology and Scientific Inquiry at York Community College in Maine and is excited to get her hands dirty, sandy and salty to make a difference to our one, big ocean.</i></b></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">What inspires me to act on behalf of the oceans?&nbsp; Let’s start with this.&nbsp; Crabs might have six legs, but they don’t have any hands.&nbsp; They are detritivores, and do the best they can, but they can only handle organic debris.&nbsp; They need us two handed types to take care of the inorganic debris.&nbsp; It is the oneness that inspires me; that we and the crabs share a common ancestor, that there is only one ocean, and we all depend on it for continued good health, as organisms, as a planet.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UsuPSVlK86A/U29zUuiDS7I/AAAAAAAAA1s/tpqfdVW9csI/s1600/sully.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UsuPSVlK86A/U29zUuiDS7I/AAAAAAAAA1s/tpqfdVW9csI/s1600/sully.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a><span class="s1">We have given different parts of the world ocean different names, and in doing so have created a false sense of separation between us as humans, and between humans and the animals and plants that live in different parts of this amazing planetary circulatory system.&nbsp; I’ve included a photo of my friend celebrating the return of the Emperor penguins from the sea as they paced past McMurdo Station this past March.&nbsp; They were curious about everything they passed, taking the time to look at anything that seemed out of place to them; they sniffed and prodded and looked out of each eye, turning their heads this way and that, picked items up and flung them around.&nbsp; They looked her right in the eye, out of each one of their eyes.&nbsp; They moved on when they felt all was as it should be.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><br /><div class="p1"><span class="s1">It is our responsibility to do the same, to be curious when things seem to be out of place, to look the situation right in the eye and decide what the right way to handle it is.&nbsp; I love it that I was standing on the shore of the North Atlantic at the same time she was watching penguins make their steady way across the Ross Sea ice shelf.&nbsp; I love it that the current that moves up the North Atlantic shore originates there in Antarctica.&nbsp; I tend to think that whatever we can do here in the Gulf of Maine to work towards a clean ocean will certainly have a positive effect on our local finned, furred, feathered and six legged pinching distant cousins.&nbsp; I believe that it will also sound a subtle positive echo all the way through the sea to Antarctica.</span></div>Rozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7650883059528591391.post-73132678356973449172014-05-16T10:56:00.000-07:002014-05-16T10:56:23.660-07:00Rozalia Project Intern Blog: From Bookworm to Lover of the Outdoors<div class="p1"><b><i><span class="s1"></span><br /></i></b></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1"><b><i>This intern blog comes from Hannah Tennent who is on the verge of graduating from Bowdoin College with a major in Earth and Oceanographic Science.</i></b></span></div><br /><br /><div class="p2"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NUGOVkZpWnU/U29sqhkCRkI/AAAAAAAAA04/vnh6THPNOd0/s1600/Hannah+Tennent+jogging+near+ocean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NUGOVkZpWnU/U29sqhkCRkI/AAAAAAAAA04/vnh6THPNOd0/s1600/Hannah+Tennent+jogging+near+ocean.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a><span class="s1">As a shy, socially awkward child, I usually wasn’t comfortable unless I had a book nearby. I slept with them as other people slept with stuffed animals and I only mastered tying my shoes after receiving an awesome cardboard shoe-shaped book with laces. My preschool teachers let me take the books outside, which was generally against the rules, because they knew I wouldn’t enjoy recess without them. Thankfully, as I grew taller and older, some of that shyness faded and I no longer needed books with me at all times, learning how to be comfortable without them and around people.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><br /><div class="p2"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VspvpA9LApY/U29st1ldCqI/AAAAAAAAA1A/6geB5bhOSlM/s1600/IMG_1322.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VspvpA9LApY/U29st1ldCqI/AAAAAAAAA1A/6geB5bhOSlM/s1600/IMG_1322.jpg" height="237" width="320" /></a><span class="s1">Therefore, it came as somewhat of a surprise when I learned I was most comfortable and happy outdoors. As a self-identified shy bookworm, I didn’t expect to love lying out under the stars, hiking above the tree line, and stumbling over my laces in the dark of caves. However, I am wildly happy that I do. Having grown up in New Mexico and now residing in Maine, I have been lucky enough to frolic in and enjoy so many different landscapes. In my opinion, nothing will ever beat the golden light of sunset on a desert, but I have learned to love and appreciate Maine’s rocky coastline. Also, Mt. Katahdin showed me not to scoff at peaks just because they aren’t part of the Rocky range.&nbsp; Just as my parents knew to read to me at night when I was scared, I now know that I want to work outdoors, learning to be a steward of the land that is so important to us, both as an economical and emotional resource. At this point in my life, after four years of college, the Rozalia Project fits my desires perfectly. I can’t wait to use both my body and brain to find fulfilling ways to spend my days. It is so exciting to get the chance to be part of a community that is dedicated to repairing the dysfunctional side of humans’ relationship with the environment. &nbsp;</span></div>Rozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7650883059528591391.post-66971800293473632502014-05-14T06:09:00.000-07:002014-05-14T06:09:16.337-07:00Rozalia Project Intern Blog: A Shift in how we Live our Lives<div class="p1"><span class="s1"><b><i>This intern blog comes from Dana Wilfarht. Dana grew up on the North Shore of Massachusetts, graduated from Roger Williams University with a semester with Sea Education Association along the way.</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B5jPWti3siI/U29xQ3FW7-I/AAAAAAAAA1g/-SkI_nho_5Y/s1600/DWilfahrt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B5jPWti3siI/U29xQ3FW7-I/AAAAAAAAA1g/-SkI_nho_5Y/s1600/DWilfahrt.jpg" height="320" width="219" /></a></i></b></div><br /><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">On the water, life becomes simpler. Necessities become the bare essentials, a little bit of comfort and nothing more. &nbsp;</span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1"></span><br /></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">While on a forty day Pacific Ocean crossing with Sea Education Association, the motto “Ship. Shipmate. Self.” became a serious reality.&nbsp; It was difficult to understand the relevance of this phrase but once land was out of sight, this seemed to be prevalent each and every minute while at sea and more-so, now, on land as well.&nbsp; First must come the ship, or the planet, as they are what supports life as we know it.&nbsp; Next come shipmates because relying on each other is not only more enjoyable but truly necessary.&nbsp; Finally, it is important that we consider ourselves.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1"></span><br /></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">After studying marine debris on this trip across the Pacific, the magnitude of the problem we are facing bared its ugly face. Very quickly the idea of a simple lifestyle became much more appealing than going back to the consumer driven lifestyle I was familiar with before.&nbsp; It was humbling to see the world with a different set of eyes. How did our world become so disposable? Single use plastic water bottles are more the norm than refillable. Plastic bags are everywhere and are used as a convenience for a minute or so, but then last in the environment for thousands of years.&nbsp; Our focus shifted from quality of life to creating conveniences that accommodate our new, fast paced lifestyles.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p2">Though we cannot travel back in time and save the planet from ourselves, what we can do is to research and educate.&nbsp; I believe that knowledge is the most powerful drive of change.&nbsp; If people knew the real damage that our single use plastic, styrofoam, etc. is causing, I am hopeful that there would be a big shift in how we live our lives. Chaos to simplicity. Quantity of material goods to quality of life. Appearing happy to true happiness.&nbsp;<span class="s1"></span></div>Rozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7650883059528591391.post-25840615960719580782014-05-11T04:25:00.001-07:002014-05-11T04:25:10.577-07:00Rozalia Project Intern Blog: Makai—To the Sea<div class="p1"><b><i>Today, you'll hear from 2014 intern, Valerie Pietsch. Valerie attends Cornell University studying environmental engineering and just wrapped up a semester in Hawaii!</i></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vr-7dtz205w/U29dgyfI-wI/AAAAAAAAA0o/Wz9hBi7b3LM/s1600/scuba3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vr-7dtz205w/U29dgyfI-wI/AAAAAAAAA0o/Wz9hBi7b3LM/s1600/scuba3.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></i></b></div><br /><div class="p1"><span class="s1">“Live your beliefs and you can turn the world around.” –Henry David Thoreau</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">My summer memories at Camp Thoreau were some of the most defining experiences of my life. It was here that I learned to love the outdoors and to want to protect nature. As a camper, I learned to sail for the first time at the age of eight, on small Sunfish boats on White’s Pond. I remember an overwhelming feeling of freedom and adventure when being on the water, and spent as much of my free time there as possible. As a counselor, I continued spending my time on White’s Pond, now teaching this skill to young campers.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">Getting to college, I enrolled as an environmental engineering major. Although I wasn’t sure exactly where I wanted to go with this, I knew that I wanted to protect and restore the environment so that others could connect with it in the same way I was able to. Over the years, it has become more and more apparent that water quality is where my interest lies. I think this passion has stemmed from visiting my family in Colombia. There, tap water must be boiled before use, and bottled water is the main source of drinking water. Having grown up with constant access to clean drinking water, this was mind-blowing to me.</span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1"></span><br /></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">More recently, I was fortunate enough to spend a semester in a field studies program in Waimea, Hawaiʻi. I have been able to travel around the Big Island, as well as Oʻahu, Maui, and Kauaʻi. Connecting to the ‘āina (land) is a huge part of the Hawaiian culture, and my time here has allowed me to understand nature in a much more intimate way.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p2"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4x47rrbUDKE/U29dgP7acXI/AAAAAAAAA0g/YTXu0KITqY8/s1600/167728_10150131991333035_6741203_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4x47rrbUDKE/U29dgP7acXI/AAAAAAAAA0g/YTXu0KITqY8/s1600/167728_10150131991333035_6741203_n.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a><span class="s1"></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">In our marine conservation class, I was able to spend class time wading through coral reefs, learning about different types of coral and surveying the health of each reef. We spent time watching whales breech and dolphins spin from shore and on a boat. During our first class out, I spotted something strange at the bottom of the reef. I swam down and pulled it out, and sure enough it was a car floor mat. It was an eye-opening experience for me to see something so dull and familiar in such an incredible and foreign place.</span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1"></span><br /></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">Free diving underwater, I heard a whale song for the first time. It was shocking how close the whale sounded to me, and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I was also able to get my scuba certification while in Hawaiʻi. Scuba diving for the first time was a completely surreal experience, like entering a completely different world. Always having loved adventure and exploring new places, I couldn’t wait to get back out there.</span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1"></span><br /></div><br /><div class="p1"><span class="s1">I currently am spending my last few weeks in Hawai’i interning with both a local scuba center and an educational outreach group, removing marine debris from and educating others on coral reefs. I have loved the work I have done here so far, and I can’t wait to continue exploring and protecting the ocean as an intern on the Rozalia Project this summer.</span></div>Rozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7650883059528591391.post-58467324690639166892014-05-06T05:03:00.001-07:002014-05-06T05:03:59.541-07:00Rozalia Project Intern Blog: 1,806 Pounds of Trash<div class="p1"><span class="s1"><b><i>This intern blog comes from Blake Rupe. Blake may attend school in a landlocked state (Iowa), but she is dedicated to the problem of marine debris and motivated to make a difference not just by joining Rozalia Project's team, but by creating her own app making recycling an experienced shared over social media.</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A8OI1rvysiA/U2PnB1GEiqI/AAAAAAAAAz4/1QJWeQ8hP1o/s1600/blake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A8OI1rvysiA/U2PnB1GEiqI/AAAAAAAAAz4/1QJWeQ8hP1o/s1600/blake.jpg" height="400" width="216" /></a></i></b></div><br /><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>It was 102 in the shade in Veracruz, Mexico.&nbsp; By noon, the beaches were empty because it was too hot to even swim.&nbsp; They were almost empty, except for me.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>I was in Veracruz last summer completing a study for my master’s thesis on how much man-made debris was on the beaches.&nbsp; Every day I would wake up, put on sunscreen, and hit the beaches with trash bags and thick gloves. I walked the same mile of rocky and sandy beaches, bent over, for eight weeks.&nbsp; By the end of my time in Mexico, I was astonished by how much, and what type, of debris I kept finding.&nbsp; I collected 1,806 pounds of trash, including 928 pounds of glass and 290 pounds of plastic.&nbsp; Sadly, over 90% of the materials I collected were recyclable, including glass, polymers, rubber, paper, cardboard, and aluminum.&nbsp; This was not what I expected to find and I realized that this experience was the reason I began to devote my life to studying the origins of marine debris and how to prevent it.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>This is what has driven me to join the Rozalia Project’s mission to protect the ocean through innovation, education, cleanup and research. I hope to bring my cleanup and analysis experience to this project so that we can increase and improve the knowledge of marine debris, while also increasing my own knowledge of collection methods and analysis. &nbsp;</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1">I am excited to begin working on proven and experimental collection methods and spreading the word about our work.&nbsp; Using our hands, we will collect materials on shorelines.&nbsp; Using an unmanned aerial vehicle, we hope to scan hard to reach shorelines and assess the marine debris situation there.&nbsp; Using a beta version of a garbage calculation app called Re-APP, I hope to improve data collection and aggregation techniques. It will be a beneficial internship for everyone.</span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><br /><div class="p2"><span class="s1">Hopefully, using this information, I can return to Mexico in the future and work on decreasing the debris there, so that when people return to the beaches there they don’t find 1,806 pounds of garbage like I did.&nbsp;</span></div>Rozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7650883059528591391.post-22922487565531265602014-05-02T08:02:00.000-07:002014-05-02T08:02:20.530-07:00Rozalia Project Intern Blog: Academics inspiring action<div class="p1"><span class="s1"><b><i>This Rozalia Project blog entry is from Mary Richards. Mary comes from Beverly, MA and goes to school at Middlebury College in Vermont studying Environmental Chemistry.</i></b></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">I grew up two blocks from the ocean in Beverly, Massachusetts, a coastal town north of Boston. Every summer, for as long as I can remember, my extended family and I have visited Provincetown, Massachusetts, the town at the outermost tip of Cape Cod, for a week at the end of August. Growing up and vacationing on the beach had always been a privilege that I took for granted, until I came to Middlebury College, a small liberal arts college located in the landlocked state of Vermont. Before being at college, I had never realized how lucky I am to have had access to the ocean throughout my life thus far.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vOsbzfvWZ-A/U1kQwREWwgI/AAAAAAAAAzo/ULUxS7FylHw/s1600/rozalia+preseason+blog+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vOsbzfvWZ-A/U1kQwREWwgI/AAAAAAAAAzo/ULUxS7FylHw/s1600/rozalia+preseason+blog+photo.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">At Middlebury College, I have recently begun the environmental part of my environmental chemistry major. With this semester dominated by classes representing various aspects of the environmental science realm, I have read and discussed in great detail the significance of the diverse ecosystems around the world and their vulnerability as a result of human activity. I feel that these mostly theoretical discussions in my courses this past semester have inspired me to want to apply my studies to an experience where I am able to directly observe and study the health of the environment. After spending so much time around the ocean – going on walks, runs, beach trips, sea glass searches, etc. – I found the chance to explore the ocean at a deeper level with the Rozalia Project to be an exciting opportunity.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><br /><div class="p1"><span class="s1">Because human well-being is so intricately linked with the health of the ocean, an ecosystem that makes up a huge part of our environment, I look forward to conducting research in regards to the impacts of pollution on marine wildlife, and how these effects relate to the consequences we experience on land.&nbsp;</span></div>Rozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7650883059528591391.post-86042997804824216242014-04-30T14:47:00.000-07:002014-04-30T14:47:32.181-07:00Rozalia Project Intern Blog: Immersed in the Blue Ocean<br /><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><b><i>Today's Rozalia Project intern blog is from Julia Siar from Provincetown, MA. Currently, Julia is studying pre-veterinary at U. Mass Amherst and wants to work with marine mammals.</i></b></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div class="p1"><b><i><br /></i></b><span class="s1"><b><i></i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><i><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8QwozAlcGzY/U1kPvunoTWI/AAAAAAAAAzg/oaZTTq5T-Ww/s1600/julia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8QwozAlcGzY/U1kPvunoTWI/AAAAAAAAAzg/oaZTTq5T-Ww/s1600/julia.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></i></b></div><br /><div class="p1">I was seven when I started sailing. I don’t think I was ever as terrified as that first time I went; it was a beautiful day in the beginning of July and my brother was to take me on my first sail ever. This would be comforting for most people, to have their brother with them, but I was even more terrified because my brother loved to scare the living day lights out of me. He was successful for the most part until our sunfish capsized. As I slipped off the side of the boat I was suddenly elated. That beautiful moment when you hit the water was like a euphoric trip for me. Then every day from then I would purposefully try and capsize. I soon realized that it wasn’t the actual capsizing that I enjoyed but it was being immersed in the blue ocean. So, I went from capsizing every second I could, to just jumping off the boat in water where you can’t touch and just swimming. To then catching all the jellyfish that I could possibly put in the cockpit of my boat. No matter what my mood it made me feel a million times better. I sailed at the West End Racing Club for the majority of my life and throughout every year the water became a closer and closer of an ally to me. I never feel more at home than the moments I can be connected to the ocean. The bay is my friend, as a good friend I am going to go on this journey so that I can protect something that has been so dear to me my entire life.&nbsp;</div>Rozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7650883059528591391.post-85042599867733746092014-04-24T05:59:00.000-07:002014-04-24T05:59:45.354-07:00Rozalia Project Intern Blog: The ocean is not just a playmate, nor a source of economic value; she is a partner<div class="p1"><span class="s1"><b><i>Next up in our Rozalia Project intern blog series is Inga Aprans from Gloucester, MA. Inga graduated from Salem State where she received a B.S. in Biology with an Environmental concentration and minor in Chemistry. As the daughter of a lobsterman, she has a unique perspective on the sea.</i></b></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U4Lbd9yetWw/U1kKVqg5H-I/AAAAAAAAAzI/pAUlly-d5ls/s1600/Aprans_Surf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U4Lbd9yetWw/U1kKVqg5H-I/AAAAAAAAAzI/pAUlly-d5ls/s1600/Aprans_Surf.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">“If you spend too much time in the water, you’ll turn into a fish”, my father said to me as I horrifically looked at my legs. I was about nine years old and hadn’t yet discovered the benefits of skin moisturizer. Continuous swimming in the ocean coupled with the strong rays of the summer sun had left my skin dry and salty; flaky patches resembling scales had begun to pop up over my sun kissed legs. I was definitely turning into a fish.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">I comforted myself by thinking that we were probably all turning into fish, not just me. My three older brothers spent just as much time in the water. Growing up on the coast in Massachusetts, our summers were idyllically spent sailing, swimming and snorkeling . The ocean was our playground.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jJQXoE-XOZs/U1kKV_hCLbI/AAAAAAAAAzM/8d4Gw3lrEr8/s1600/Aprans_boat.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jJQXoE-XOZs/U1kKV_hCLbI/AAAAAAAAAzM/8d4Gw3lrEr8/s1600/Aprans_boat.jpeg" height="214" width="320" /></a></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">As the years passed, one by one my brothers forfeited their weekend ocean play for work. My father is a lobster fisherman, and&nbsp; my brothers’ coming of age ceremony consisted of 3 am wake up calls and rolling seas. Slowly, this small change in family life routine extended to a change in my perception of the ocean. I began to make sense of the magnitude of my father’s frustration at the dinner table when his catch was low that day, when draggers ran over his gear, or when due to weather, he didn’t get out at all. The ocean and her resources provided for us. When these issues occurred, they directly affected our livelihood. This solipsistic starting point was what initially propelled me into pursuing a career in fisheries and marine conservation. I wanted to protect what was mine; a healthy ocean meant healthy lobsters meant food on our table and the means to uphold our loving household and lifestyle.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">Once I was old enough to work alongside my father on the boat, I marveled at his familiarity, knowledge, and respect for the ocean. His motions were fluid and strong, and always was he paying attention to the water and adjusting to its will. By returning lobsters that were too big or too small, or those that had spawned or were to spawn, he worked to ensure there would be lobsters for future days and future generations. Through watching him I discovered that </span></div><br />the ocean was not just a playmate, nor was she just a source of economic value; she was a partner.<br /><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">However, while I attended college the Northeast ground-fishery continued to collapse and I realized that while things seemed conservationally sound within my family, this partnership was not universally honored. As I watched members of my community fight against government figures and question the validity of science, I became determined to find a way to unite all walks of life who hold the ocean close to their heart. Everyone involved ultimately has the same goal: to keep the marine ecosystem healthy. To do that, our partnership must be maintained and improved.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">To me, Rozalia Project epitomizes the unification that I strive for. The combination of scientific research, education, and hands-on work all on a sailboat cultivates the type of community that I hope for.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><br /><div class="p2"><span class="s1"> </span></div><br /><div class="p1"><span class="s1">The concept of “protecting what you love” rings so true to me. I grew up spectacularly, I was loved, well cared for and had the most beautiful playground. The nucleus of all of those experiences, and all those that have come after, is the marine environment. In the career choices I have made, I have tried to reflect my love for this environment and my desire to protect it. Being a part of Rozalia is the next step in my journey, and I couldn’t be more excited.&nbsp;</span></div>Rozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7650883059528591391.post-63180710966961419772014-04-21T11:58:00.000-07:002014-04-21T11:58:53.993-07:00Rozalia Project Intern Blog: Is that dawn? No, it's Los Angeles<div class="p1"><span class="s1"><i><b>It is almost time to board American Promise for our fourth season of cleanup, research and education and we have a spectacular group of interns from all over the country and from a variety of backgrounds and experiences.</b></i></span></div><div class="p1"><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div class="p1"><i><b>This post kicks off our series of intern blog posts. It is an opportunity to, not just show off our excellent interns, but also share with you their personal stories of what motivates them to get dirty, sandy, salty and muddy to protect our ocean.</b></i></div><div class="p1"><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div class="p1"><i><b>The first is from Emma Hayward who currently attends the Eugene Lang College at the New School for Liberal Arts in NYC and comes from Cape Cod...</b></i></div><div class="p1"><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jhM5X-32od8/U1Vpam6yhYI/AAAAAAAAAy4/eDYG5atPcWs/s1600/emma+h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jhM5X-32od8/U1Vpam6yhYI/AAAAAAAAAy4/eDYG5atPcWs/s1600/emma+h.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>During a forty day ocean crossing, you realize how many things you take for granted during your life on land.&nbsp; Cooking a meal on a flat, stationary stove, for instance, is something people never think twice about while engaging in a terrestrial lifestyle.&nbsp; Realizing how safe and simple my life on land truly was did not surprise me.&nbsp; What did surprise me, is what I came to take for granted about the ocean.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Earlier that day, my father had plotting our position on our chart.&nbsp; We knew we were still a few days off of San Diego, perhaps about a hundred miles out.&nbsp; He took the first watch that evening, and woke me for mine at eleven.&nbsp; I was still opening my eyes as I climbed up the companion-way and clipped in my harness.&nbsp; My father was sitting on deck, eyes straight ahead.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“Do you see that, Emma?” he asked, not taking his eyes off whatever he was looking at.&nbsp; Up ahead, very far off, was a significant glow on the horizon.&nbsp; It was light unlike any I had ever seen.&nbsp; Completely mystified I asked, “is it dawn?”</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>“No. It’s Los Angeles.”&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>This was the first time it hit me that our trip was going to end soon.&nbsp; For thirty plus days we had enjoyed the ocean largely to ourselves, yet here was a colossal society, just waiting for us at the end.&nbsp; I was angry.&nbsp; Who did this city this it was?&nbsp; Ruining my last few nights of star-gazing with its filthy light pollution.&nbsp; I suppose beautiful, starry skies were something I had come to take for granted.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><br /><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Joining Rozalia Project became important to me that night on watch.&nbsp; I sat there for hours, sailing towards the blaring L.A. lights, wishing I could turn our boat around and sail right back out to sea.&nbsp; I knew then, that if only people were truly aware of the majesty of the ocean, they would change their ways and do what they could to help it.&nbsp; By combining research, clean-up, and education, Rozalia Project does its part to help people better understand the environmental issues in our oceans.&nbsp; I feel very honored to get to work towards this goal with Rozalia Project. &nbsp;</span></div>Rozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7650883059528591391.post-9412244947437595982014-02-20T06:30:00.000-08:002014-02-20T06:30:06.593-08:00From Beachside Trash to Holiday Treasure<div class="p1"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A vibrantly successful Long Island Sound shoreline cleanup takes an unconventional recycling twist through the efforts of eager Greenport School fourth graders and&nbsp;</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">local artist Cindy Pease Roe&nbsp;</span></b></div></div><div class="p1"><i><br /></i></div><div class="p2"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LCg5-4F1byw/UwUp8tHqsHI/AAAAAAAAAyo/a6GHKhO8e9A/s1600/cindy+wreaths+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LCg5-4F1byw/UwUp8tHqsHI/AAAAAAAAAyo/a6GHKhO8e9A/s1600/cindy+wreaths+copy.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><span class="s1"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1">On the morning of Tuesday, November 19</span><span class="s2"><sup>th</sup></span><span class="s1">, forty fourth graders and a handful of brave chaperones leapt off of a Greenport School bus and onto a gusty seashore at Truman’s Beach in Orient, NY. Using Rozalia Project’s marine debris record sheets, the students happily battled the beachside winds as they removed over 600 pieces of unnatural materials from one of their favorite summer spots. A sopping wet pillow and three dead rats in a plastic gallon jug later, the job was far from done.&nbsp;</span></span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This second annual Greenport School beach cleanup was developed by local artist Cindy Pease Roe who has made her mark on the north fork of Long Island through all mediums of her creative genius within her studio that is tucked inside historic Hanff’s Boatyard in Greenport. Most recently, though, Roe has expanded her talent by transforming her personal collection of shoreline plastics into unique art forms. That is where the kids come in.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When the data-filled clipboards were collected, and the heaping bags of marine debris gathered, the rubbish party reconfigured at Floyd Memorial Library for color sorting. As tables erupted with blue bottle caps, a yellow yo-yo, tarnished green rope and the like, the room buzzed with imaginative angst for what was to come. The students’ field trip continued the next morning when they joined Roe once again to craft holiday wreaths with their discovered, sorted and recorded materials. Afterward, these animated decorations were on display throughout Greenport School, decking the halls but also bringing awareness to a deeper truth.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of the nearly 650 pieces of recorded marine debris found, the most frequently occurring material was caps, lids and bottle tops, with 119 pieces recovered. In second was rope, coming in at 77 pieces, and third was plastic bottles, totaling 45. As most of Rozalia Project’s collected data has shown, our shores and waters are battling preventable pollutants. 40 fourth graders on Long Island shared these facts with their schoolmates and community through marine trash art; how will you encourage preventative action?&nbsp;</span><br /><span class="s1" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span class="s1" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>This blog post is from 2013 intern, Kaleigh Wilson, a graduate of Roger Williams University. We asked Kaleigh to join Cindy and the Greenport students last fall to represent Rozalia Project and add an element of science and data collection to the excellent pickup and artwork that was already being done. We are grateful to Kaleigh for stepping up to participate and write this great report. In addition, Newsday Magazine published some articles about this event:&nbsp;</i></span><br /><i><br /></i><i><a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-life/rozalia-project-s-founder-seeks-help-for-waters-1.6542553"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-life/rozalia-project-s-founder-seeks-help-for-waters-1.6542553</span></a></i><br /><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i><i><a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-life/turning-beach-junk-cleanup-into-art-projects-1.6542224"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-life/turning-beach-junk-cleanup-into-art-projects-1.6542224</span></a></i><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/suffolk/greenport-students-make-wreaths-from-washed-up-plastic-1.6533763"><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.newsday.com/long-island/suffolk/greenport-students-make-wreaths-from-washed-up-plastic-1.6533763</span></i></a></div>Rozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7650883059528591391.post-51994047299476010492014-02-13T11:58:00.000-08:002014-02-13T12:28:04.874-08:00 Attention ocean scientists: Rozalia Project Fellowships onboard American Promise!<div class="p1"><span class="s1">&nbsp;</span><span class="s2"><b>Rozalia Project Fellowships onboard <i>American Promise</i> operating from Downeast Maine to the Chesapeake Bay</b></span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s2"></span><br /></div><div class="p3"><span class="s2">Rozalia Project for a Clean Ocean invites scientists, researchers and ocean advocates on the subjects of marine debris, ocean pollution, climate change and more to join us for expeditions in the North Atlantic May-August, 2014.</span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s2"></span><br /></div><div class="p3"><span class="s2">Rozalia Project conducts its science expeditions from the 60' sailing research vessel <i>American Promise,</i> crewed by licensed mariners, Rozalia Project staff and interns. She is capable of crossing oceans, with a maximum crew of 9 people.</span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s2"></span><br /></div><div class="p3"><span class="s2">This Fellowship/guest scientist program is designed to share resources, give scientists extremely low cost opportunities to conduct research, access to underwater technology and expertise, and give Rozalia Project interns exposure to high level research scientists and their methods while we all work toward a clean and healthy ocean.</span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s2"></span><br /></div><div class="p3"><span class="s2">Rozalia Project is making 1-3 spaces available on each of three expeditions (below) for guest scientists through this fellowship program. Guest scientists will complete their own research alongside Rozalia Project's ongoing research and be a part of the daily interaction with our web based followers. <i>American Promise </i>is equipped with 2 ROV's capable down to 1000ft, side scan sonar, imaging sonar, 2 neuston nets, digital microscope, and ponar sediment grab.</span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s2"></span><br /></div><div class="p3"><span class="s2">The expeditions are followed by over 25,000 children across North America and beyond who will interact with the expedition and its work on a daily basis through web-based and satellite communication. We ask for $150/week food/supplies stipend, otherwise the spot is without charge.</span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"></span><br /></div><div class="p5"><span class="s2"><b>May 19 - June 14</b></span></div><div class="p6"><span class="s2"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><b>Rozalia Project’s primary objective: </b>Direct action campaign - saving a species critical to our north Atlantic ecosystem, coastal marine debris work</span></div><div class="p6"><span class="s2"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><b>Geographic location</b>: US Atlantic seaboard (Maine - Chesapeake Bay)</span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"></span><br /></div><div class="p5"><span class="s2">2<b>. July 6 - July 20</b></span></div><div class="p6"><span class="s2"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><b>Rozalia Project’s primary objective</b>: Ocean cleanup and testing Rozalia Project’s solutions to the problem of floating and shoreline trash: low by-catch net and using unmanned aerial vehicles for documentation of shoreline and surface trash</span></div><div class="p6"><span class="s2"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><b>Geographic location: </b>Gulf of Maine</span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"></span><br /></div><div class="p5"><span class="s2">3. <b>July 27 - August 10&nbsp;</b></span></div><div class="p6"><span class="s2"><b><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Rozalia Project’s primary objective</b>: Marine debris cleanup on the shoreline, surface and seafloor with a focus on outlying islands off the coast of Maine</span></div><div class="p6"><span class="s2"><b><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Geographic location: </b>Gulf of Maine, Downeast Maine</span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"></span><br /></div><div class="p3"><span class="s3"><b>For more information or to apply: </b></span><span class="s2">Call Rachael Miller at 802-578-6120 to discuss your research or send the following as soon as possible to <span class="s4"><a href="mailto:rachael@rozaliaproject.org">rachael@rozaliaproject.org</a></span></span></div><div class="p8"></div><ul><li>A brief overview of your department/organization</li><li>Details about the work you would complete while aboard <i>American Promise</i></li><li>The CV, name and contact information of the person (or people) who would join us</li></ul><br /><div class="p2"><span class="s2"></span><br /></div><br /><div class="p3"><span class="s2">We have had successful partnerships with scientists from the University of Exeter and the Ocean Conservancy and look forward to using <i>American Promise</i> to continue to further our understanding of the problems (and solutions) facing our marine environment.</span></div>Rozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7650883059528591391.post-37358283739197124272014-01-06T15:24:00.000-08:002014-01-08T12:06:16.223-08:00Rozalia Project's 2014 Internship Program: exceptional people wanted!<div class="p1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"><b>Scientists, environmentalists, engineers, communicators, changemakers, movers and shakers wanted…</b></span><span class="s2">&nbsp;</span></span></div><div class="p2"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p3"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">for a demanding, problem-solving, data-collecting, ocean trash removing, robot operating, action-taking, sailing, educating, inspiring, career-advancing internship.</span></span></div><div class="p4"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p3"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Join Rozalia Project for one of three 2014 expeditions onboard the 60’ sailing research vessel, <i>American Promise.</i>&nbsp;</span></span></div><div class="p4"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p3"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Following are the internships we have available this season. The right people are not just science and environmental studies majors, we consider and welcome people from any background and location. Ability to sail is not a pre-requisite. Being a great team-member, problem solver and someone who understands and is enthusiastic about Rozalia Project’s mission and the internship are prerequisites. Interns will take part in every aspect of the expedition. These internships are unpaid, we ask for a $150/week contribution toward food and supplies. Minimum age 18. Must love dogs (we have 2 Newfoundlands onboard).</span></span></div><div class="p2"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p5"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1.&nbsp;<b>May 19 - June 14</b></span></span></div><div class="p6"></div><ul><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Primary objective: </b>Direct action campaign - saving a species critical to our north Atlantic ecosystem</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Geographic location</b>: US Atlantic seaboard</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Topics, skills, activities emphasized during this expedition</b>: fishery science and management, marine ecosystems, communication, neuston tows, data analysis, long distance sailing/passage making</span></li></ul><br /><div class="p5"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2<b>. &nbsp;July 6 - July 20</b></span></span></div><div class="p6"></div><ul><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Primary objective</b>: Ocean cleanup and testing Rozalia Project’s solutions to the problem of floating and shoreline trash: low by-catch net and using unmanned aerial vehicles for documentation of shoreline and surface trash</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Geographic location: </b>Gulf of Maine</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Topics. skills, activities emphasized during this expedition</b>: research and development, problem solving, robotics (aerial), surface tows, data collection and analysis, communication</span></li></ul><br /><div class="p5"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. <b>July 27 - August 10&nbsp;</b></span></span></div><div class="p6"></div><ul><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Primary objective</b>: Marine debris cleanup on the shoreline, surface and seafloor with a focus on outlying islands off the coast of Maine</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Geographic location: </b>Gulf of Maine, Downeast Maine</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Topics. skills, activities emphasized during this expedition</b>: data collection and analysis, robotics (aerial and subsea), shoreline marine debris cleanup, communication</span></li></ul><br /><div class="p1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"><b>How to apply:&nbsp;</b></span>Check out the <a href="http://www.rozaliaproject.org/join_us/interns_and_crew.html" target="_blank">full announcement</a> then call, email, text, Tweet or send us a video… and tell us the following:</span></div><div class="p7"></div><ul><li><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why or how Rozalia Project’s mission and work excites or inspires you</span></b></li><li><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which expedition you would like to join and why</span></b></li><li><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Include your resume/cv</span></b></li></ul><br /><div class="p8"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you seem like a good fit (remember, we welcome all backgrounds, fit has more to do with attitude, energy and skills we need), we will contact you for a phone interview. That will be followed by us checking your references (we need 3: a teacher, an employer and a personal reference). Lastly, we will meet over Skype for one last conversation before we make a decision.</span></span></div><div class="p8"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="p8"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We use rolling admissions and will inform you of our decision either during, or soon after, the Skype interview. There are 3-6 internship opportunities per expedition. Spaces will fill up quickly!</span></span></div><div class="p9"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div><br /><div class="p3"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Additional information about these internships can be found on <a href="http://rozaliaproject.org/"><span class="s2">rozaliaproject.org</span></a> then click Interns &amp; Crew under the Join Us tab. To apply: call Rachael at 802-578-6120 (mobile) or email your letter, or a link to your video, to: rachael@rozaliaproject.org</span></span></div>Rozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7650883059528591391.post-30054368802201546542013-11-12T07:09:00.000-08:002013-11-12T07:12:23.645-08:00Rozalia Project Manifesto for a Clean Ocean<div class="p1" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="p1" style="text-align: center;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Knowing is not enough,we must apply</span></span></div><div class="p1" style="text-align: center;"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">willing is not enough,we must do.”&nbsp;</span></span></div><div class="p3" style="text-align: center;"><span class="s3"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">―&nbsp;<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/285217.Johann_Wolfgang_von_Goethe"><span class="s4">Johann Wolfgang von Goethe</span></a></span></span></div><div class="p2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have all been bombarded with media stories of islands of trash the size of Texas floating in the Pacific and&nbsp;man-made toxins in the marine food web. We hear every week of new Tsunami debris washing ashore on the west coast of North America. These stories have been developed upon the valuable work of the scientific community discovering where, what and how much ocean pollutants exist in the marine environment.</span></span></div><div class="p5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The stories have struggled with hyperbole, there are no floating islands of trash, but the science research has been unerringly&nbsp;accurate in showing our seas as a chowder of ocean trash.</span></span></div><div class="p5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have an environmental disaster on our hands that will reverberate through future generations if we do not cleanup.&nbsp;The cleanup is the sticky little pie. Many believe that ocean cleanup is an insurmountable task, a fools errand. Many people worry about the effects on marine life from unintended consequences of cleaning up our trash. Who is responsible? Who is going to pay for it? All valid questions, but they are questions that should not stop us taking action to find solutions.</span></span></div><div class="p5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rozalia Project has been working hard to develop real world solutions to our ocean pollution problems. We believe we can have clean oceans and that success is going to take a multitude of methods. Rozalia Project is using a &nbsp;multi-pronged, cohesive and comprehensive approach to clean our oceans.</span></span></div><div class="p5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rozalia Project’s scientific research has led us to believe that&nbsp;the majority of ocean trash originates at the land/sea interface of our conurbations. The causes of trash ending up in the water are numerous and concentrated in these contiguous zones of human population. Inadequate number of, and overflowing trash cans, populations not taking on the personal responsibility to dispose of their trash responsibly, lack of physical screening on drains and storm water overflow pipes, lack of education as&nbsp;to the harmful effects of trash in the water and industrial pollution all are causes of ocean trash. &nbsp;Rozalia Project has conducted a 2 year study of urban waters throughout North America, discovering concentrations of marine debris/trash of up to 282,000 pieces per km². The average concentrations in these urban watersheds rival and exceed that of ocean trash collecting zones in the center of our oceanic gyres.</span></span></div><div class="p5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thus, it is Rozalia Project’s belief that our focus on cleanup should be at the land/sea interface, urban waters and at the convergence of currents in coastal waters where high densities of ocean trash have been transported directly from these conurbations on their way to the center of the great oceanic gyres.</span></span></div><div class="p5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2">Prevention: stopping trash getting into the water, and remediation: removing trash from the water and shores before it breaks down into micro size pieces, are the cornerstones of Rozalia Project’s belief</span><span class="s5">&nbsp;</span><span class="s2">that we can clean our oceans.</span></span></div><div class="p5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are the strategies and solutions&nbsp;that Rozalia Project is currently using to combat the problem of ocean pollution.</span></span></div><div class="p5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1) INNOVATION</span></b></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rozalia Project is using existing technologies in new ways and developing new technologies to clean our oceans from the surface to the seafloor:</span></span></div><div class="p5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Baleen Basker - low bycatch marine debris net</span></b></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Baleen Basker is a prototype low bycatch marine debris net developed over the last 2 years by Rozalia Project. Low bycatch is imperative because catching volumes of plankton along with the trash would have a detrimental effect on our marine environment. The Baleen Basker was designed to exclude completely or allow organic plant and marine life to pass through the net, but capture any oil-based ocean trash such as microplastic, foam, etc.&nbsp;</span></span></div><div class="p5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Baleen Basker was bio-engineered to mimic the filter feeding abilities of baleen whales and the gill rakers of basking sharks. We are excited about the test results of our prototype, that, in phase 2 testing, has achieved up to 91% efficiency&nbsp;in removing microplastics from the water while excluding up to 48% of the organic matter.</span></span></div><div class="p5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This project is very exciting because of the ability to upsize to a Baleen Basker suitable for a commercial fishing trawler. The fishing industry has the skills to locate and capture fish in sufficient quantities to be economic. With the help of the Baleen Basker, these skills could readily transfer to fishing for trash in areas of coastal current convergence with high densities of ocean trash.</span></span></div><div class="p5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV)</span></b></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rozalia Project&nbsp;has pioneered the use of Videoray micro-ROVs to clean our seafloor of trash. The Videoray Pro4, equipped with BlueView imaging sonar and a manipulator, has proven very adept at removing beverage bottles, cups, cans, and food wrappers from the trash reefs found right off the wharfs of our urban harbors. The ability &nbsp;of the ROV to work in low visibility or hazardous areas while removing trash at a rate of up to 30 pieces per hour has opened up the possibility of seafloor remediation in our urban waters, with little to no disturbance of sediment or marine life. This ultra low footprint and environmentally safe remediation has made the micro-ROV a perfect tool for the cleanup of the seafloor in our urban waters.</span></span></div><div class="p5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)</span></b></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 2014 Rozalia Project will conduct a ground-truthing survey of marine debris/ocean trash density and distribution along the coast of New England. Using UAV technology (remotely operated aerial vehicles), Rozalia Project will chart the amount and location of ocean trash on the shores and waters of New England. &nbsp;By using this new&nbsp;data, coastal cleanups of shorelines and beaches can be focused on areas with the largest aggregation of trash. This will lead to more trash removed from our waters and shorelines, as well as production of an accurate&nbsp;coastal&nbsp;trash density distribution map. Further work with this technology will include the use of automatic recognition software to process aerial photography, allowing Rozalia Project to quickly produce accurate debris density maps for locations throughout North America and beyond.</span></span></div><div class="p5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sailing Research Vessel (<i>American Promise</i>)</span></b></span></div><div class="p4"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2">Rozalia Project’s 60ft sailing research vessel,&nbsp;<i>American Promise</i>, is one of the greenest research vessels in the world. With nonstop, round-the-world, record-setting sailing performance and a state-of-art Steyr propulsion engine,&nbsp;<i>American Promise</i>&nbsp;averaged a fuel consumption of 3 gallons per day for its 2013 expeditions. Standard 60ft scientific vessels use up to 150</span><span class="s5">&nbsp;</span><span class="s2">gallons per day.&nbsp;<i>American Promise</i>&nbsp;is capable of extended ocean voyages without resupply for up to 6 scientists and interns with 3 crew.&nbsp;Our goal is to make her the worlds greenest ocean capable research vessel. Refit plans for 2014 include new standing rigging, solar panels, wind power and hydropower. These additions will reduce our fuel consumption to 2 gallons per day of operation.</span></span></div><div class="p5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">High Resolution Ocean Trash Forecasting</span></b></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rozalia Project has been utilizing Tidetech high resolution current forecasts and sea surface temperature charts, in conjunction with GFS and Predictwind high resolution wind models, to predict areas of&nbsp;high density ocean trash accumulation. We are working on a micro scale and able to forecast 1 to 2 mile strips where debris will accumulate.&nbsp;</span></span></div><div class="p5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The UAV program will document these accumulation zones and map organic matter versus ocean trash ratios in these specific areas. The end goal is being able to route fishing trawlers utilizing the Baleen Basker to areas that will allow them to remove the most ocean trash in the most economic manner.</span></span></div><div class="p5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rozalia Project Ocean Pollution Fellowship Program (Guest Scientists berths available on every 2014 research expedition)</span></b></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rozalia Project is a firm believer in good science, but there is a worrying trend. Scientists do not get to spend enough time on the water studying the problems of ocean pollution. We have hosted graduate level marine scientists who have never been out on a research vessel before coming onboard&nbsp;<i>American Promise</i>. This affected us deeply here at Rozalia Project. Thus, we have made guest scientist spots available on board <i>American Promis</i>e on every 2014 research expedition. These spots are available at zero cost to scientists so they may conduct their own research during our expeditions. Rozalia Project is very proud to promote and support the future of marine science.</span></span></div><div class="p5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rozalia Project Undergraduate Intern Program</span></b></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rozalia Project has had 50 undergraduate interns since 2011 join us onboard&nbsp;<i>American Promise</i>&nbsp;to participate in our science research and cleanup expeditions.&nbsp;Several of our interns have gone on to&nbsp;jobs or internships at several prestigious environmental organizations such as the Ocean Conservancy and U. of Washington’s Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and Ocean.&nbsp;We see our interns as holding the future of ocean science and as seeds that go back to their own communities to teach how important a clean ocean is for our future and grow new ocean stewards and scientists.</span></span></div><div class="p5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) EDUCATION</span></b></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rozalia Project has educated 47,000+ people of all ages about the effects and solutions to ocean trash through our in person education programs and our Expedition Reports/ virtual crew member programs over the last 4 years.</span></span></div><div class="p5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>American Promise</i>&nbsp;has been an integral part of the education program, with port stops featuring surface to seafloor cleanups and engaging education programs with over 75 education partners. These programs have been a great success, allowing participants to access cutting edge technology, and be part of the team applying this technology to clean our harbors. The ROV gives participants a connection to the marine world right under their feet, in their own harbor, a world most participants have never seen or experienced. Rozalia Project’s education program combines ocean clean up with&nbsp;giving&nbsp;our participants&nbsp;the building blocks to a career in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).</span></span></div><div class="p5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rozalia Project believes the greatest way to modify behavior in a population is through education. Teach a child to understand, love and care for the marine environment, and that child will teach their own family to keep our oceans clean.</span></span></div><div class="p5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3) CLEANUP</span></b></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rozalia Project, from inception to present, has removed 565,000+ pieces of ocean trash from the waters and shorelines of North America by leading a variety of our own and volunteer cleanups with the following featured partnerships and programs.</span></span></div><div class="p4"></div><ul><li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rozalia Project led a FEMA funded back-to-work program for 41 unemployed workers to cleanup marine debris in the rivers, lakes and streams of Vermont after the destruction caused by Tropical Storm Irene.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rozalia Project, in partnership with Maine Coast Heritage Trust, developed a program to clean several remote offshore islands in Maine. These island cleanups have generated great data on the composition of ocean trash in the Gulf of Maine, and inspired us to develop the UAV mapping program for 2014. Although the coast of Maine has few urban centers, it has one of the most concentrated and gear-intensive fisheries in the world, with up to 6.4 million lobster traps actively fished, and a similar amount of fishing gear used in adjacent Nova Scotia. The average loss of traps is 10-20% per year giving the Maine coast very high densities of derelict fishing gear. This fishing trash is severely affecting the marine environment. Rozalia Project is very active in this critical habitat, cleaning up and trying to find solutions to this industry-related ocean trash. The ability of&nbsp;</span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">American Promise</i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">&nbsp;to be self-contained for several weeks, allows a cleanup crew to work on these remote island for extended periods of time.</span></li></ul><br /><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4) SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH</span></b></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We need knowledge before we can act, thus Rozalia Project has implemented several scientific research projects to develop data from which we can produce solutions.</span></span></div><div class="p5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To date,&nbsp;<i>American Promise</i>&nbsp;has been the base for, or involved with, several research expeditions and projects:</span></span></div><div class="p4"></div><ul><li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Urban Waters Study-North America</span></li><li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Coastal marine debris density study based on areas of convergence&nbsp;</span></li><li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ingestion of microplastic by zooplankton, mollusks and worms, University of Exeter</span></li><li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Floating derelict fishing gear density study</span></li><li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lake Champlain microdebris sediment study</span></li><li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lobster cannibalism study, Noah Oppenheim, U. Maine</span></li><li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Side scan sonar survey of derelict fishing gear, NH/ME coast, Blue Ocean Society</span></li><li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ground truthing derelict fishing gear/lobster traps, Gosport, Blue Ocean Society</span></li></ul><br /><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>American Promise</i>&nbsp;will be available as a vessel of opportunity for any scientist or learning institution who wants to conduct scientific research on ocean pollution or climate change on the Gulf of Maine during our 2014 expeditions.</span></span></div><div class="p5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5) LAND BASED SOLUTIONS</span></b></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rozalia Project is promoting several physical land based solutions to reduce the land to sea transport of trash.</span></span></div><div class="p4"></div><ul><li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Physical screening of storm drains to prevent trash washing into harbors during periods of heavy precipitation.&nbsp;</span></li><li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Greater number of trash cans per mile at the land/sea interface of publicly accessible waterfront in urban areas. Overflowing trash cans are a major source of ocean trash.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Promote products such as Big Belly solar trash and recycling compactors that store more trash, prevent overflow and signal when full, saving municipalities money.&nbsp;</span></li><li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Promote trash as an energy source through waste to energy power plants (if value of trash increases no one will throw it away). Sweden and Denmark have invested&nbsp; heavily in waste to energy power production. Sweden is a net importer of trash and either recycles or puts 94% of their trash into waste to energy plants to make electricity.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Promote the idea of minimized packaging of products</span></li><li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Promote&nbsp;expanded recycling of single use products</span></li></ul><br /><div class="p5"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s2"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">James Lyne &amp; Rachael Z. Miller</span></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Co-founders Rozalia Project for a Clean Ocean</span></span></div><div class="p6"><span class="s1"><a href="http://www.rozaliaproject.org/"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.rozaliaproject.org<span class="s6"></span></span></a></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">c.802 578 6135 James</span></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">c. 802 578 6120 RZM</span></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><a href="mailto:james@rozaliaproject.org"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">james@rozaliaproject.org<span class="s7"></span></span></a></span></div><br /><div class="p4"><span class="s2"><a href="mailto:rachael@rozaliaproject.org"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">rachael@rozaliaproject.org</span><span class="s7"></span></a></span></div>Rozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7650883059528591391.post-33213761487103645622013-09-15T14:07:00.000-07:002013-09-16T07:06:49.042-07:00An efficient, quiet and lower impact new engine for American Promise!2013: The Re-power Report. See the video by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywEFsTBdQZs&amp;feature=c4-overview&amp;list=UUyGuOwTKG35ofRdtruO-qHw" target="_blank">clicking here</a>!<br /><br />Now that the American Promise part of Rozalia Project’s season is over, we wanted to tell the story of our repower, the decisions, the reality and partners who made it happen.<br /><br />First, let’s set the stage. Previously we had a 1986 Perkins diesel. It gave us no more than 5.5-6 knots (mostly with the current behind us) using 2.5 gallons per hour or more. It filled the boat with fumes, the most noticeable from hydraulic fluid. It bellowed black smoke on start-up, if it started up at all as the engine spent nearly all of last year with a 60/40 chance of starting without needing to use all of the battery power on the boat.<br /><br />Learning about the State of Maine’s Clean Marine Diesel funding gave us the inspiration we needed to put our re-power research into high gear. We had been looking at re-powering and the possibility of going to a completely electric propulsion system. We (optimistically) envisioned a boat without any combustion engines, powered only by renewables in the form of solar, wind and hydro power.<br /><br />We had no-compromise requirements and some compromises we’d be willing to make. Safety was no compromise. That means we needed reliability and range. Next came environmental considerations: improved efficiency and reduced emissions. Then, human comfort: reduced noise and fumes and finally, features such as ability to use biofuels and seamless switch over - not needing to rewire the whole boat or learn entirely new procedures (which we would do if we had to, but better if we didn’t).<br /><br />We soon found that, though an electric motor (or two) could power a boat as large and heavy as American Promise, no reasonable combination of electric power and battery banks could give us a safe range. For example, if we installed $80,000 of lithium-ion batteries (charged by solar, wind or hydro power and/or a diesel generator), we would only have 2-3 hours at 5 knots to travel before the stored power would be depleted. At that point, our only option for powered propulsion would be via the diesel generator which, until the batteries could be charged, could only provide approximately 3 knots of speed. The river where we keep our mooring has that much current at max flow. That is no speed at which one can outrun (or end run) a thunderstorm. It became obvious that, while there are boats for whom electric power is a viable option, for American Promise, there is not enough range or safety to be found in an electric motor now or in the near future.<br /><br />Enter the Steyr, Tier 3 marine diesel. We chose this motor for several reasons. All of which are a reality for us. Here are the stats:<br /><br /><ul><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0DHqyKiLUic/UjYhCFj67JI/AAAAAAAAAyU/7s_HsH_4hb8/s1600/steyr+in+boat+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0DHqyKiLUic/UjYhCFj67JI/AAAAAAAAAyU/7s_HsH_4hb8/s200/steyr+in+boat+copy.jpg" width="160" /></a><li>This summer we averaged 8-9 kts under power using 1.8-2 gallons per hour.</li><li>We do not have a boat filled with fumes. This engine has an 80% reduction in nitrous oxide emissions over a Tier 2 engine.</li><li>We do not belch black smoke upon start up, nor at any time. This engine has an 150% reduction in particulate matter over a Tier 2 engine and 1000% improvement from our 1986 diesel.</li><li>The engine starts every time we turn the key.</li><li>We can NOT hear that the engine is on while on the bow all the way to aft of the mast (unbelievable). We do not need to shout over it when under power down below or in the cockpit.</li><li>We outran 2 severe and fast moving thunderstorms arriving at our mooring with time to spare for one that slammed us with 60 knots at the top of the mast</li><li>We were always able to maintain control and precision in the swift moving waters of our homeport (the back channel of Kittery Point off the Piscataqua River)</li><li>We did not need to rewire the entire boat.</li><li>We did not need to learn any new procedures. We check the oil, we turn the key, we check the exhaust and we go. The maintenance schedule is reasonable and easy to follow. Our two home boatyards (Kittery Point Yacht Yard and Maine Yacht Center, who did the installation) are certified to work on the engine.</li><li>Using a combination of power and sail and the generator for house bank power, we traveled 170 miles over 3 days for $61 in fuel from Northeast Harbor to Frenchboro to Hurricane Island to the Isles of Shoals and home to Kittery Point (includes conducting 4 surface tows under power before topping off the tank at the end of the expedition).</li></ul><br /><br />In addition to the above, once we are out of the break-in period we will be able to start running on biodiesel - all the way to B100. We could even be eradicating ocean pollution while running on restaurant waste in the form of veggie oil.<br /><br />American Promise is the first vessel in North America to install this Tier 3 Steyr engine. The technology and features are new to the boating public. We showed the engine off to people all over the Gulf of Maine and in Boston and we are spreading the word that a switch to a Tier 3 marine diesel is a reasonable and accessible change that anyone who uses a diesel can make when ready to re-power. The benefits to the environment are easy to see and achieve (significant reduction in emissions, reduced footprint by increased efficiency and using renewable fuels), the benefits to those onboard are immediate (reduced noise and reduced fumes), and the benefits to the owners/operators clear (improved safety, same procedures with better performance, reduced operating/fuel cost).<br /><br />Rozalia Project is grateful for support from the State of Maine Clean Marine Diesel Program with the Maine Marine Trades Association; 11th Hour Racing and Kilroy Realty Corporation as well as the Maine Yacht Center and Kittery Point Yacht Yard. Support from these forward thinking organizations made a big difference to Rozalia Project and American Promise. We will have a wider and wider effect as we share the technology and results with the boating community and everyone who loves the ocean and wants to do their part to keep it healthy.<br /><br />See the video by&nbsp;<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywEFsTBdQZs&amp;feature=c4-overview&amp;list=UUyGuOwTKG35ofRdtruO-qHw" target="_blank">clicking here</a>!Rozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7650883059528591391.post-20509118214765473242013-08-01T09:34:00.000-07:002013-08-01T09:34:45.315-07:00A big month for Mission Atlantic<i>After realizing that all of our news has been posted on Facebook, Twitter and through the Mission Atlantic Program, we realized the blog needed an update. This just in from some of our amazing 2013 interns: Anna (U. of Missouri), Shira (College of the Atlantic) and Tina (Virginia Commonwealth U.) looking back at their weeks with Rozalia Project onboard American Promise...</i><br /><br />Hey everyone!<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bGFYLoaC0Y0/UfRKLOrNH9I/AAAAAAAAAw8/I_JcaPW8rs8/s1600/IMG_1063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bGFYLoaC0Y0/UfRKLOrNH9I/AAAAAAAAAw8/I_JcaPW8rs8/s200/IMG_1063.JPG" width="200" /></a>We<span style="font-family: Monaco;">’</span>ve been wicked busy doing research, cleanup, and education in the Gulf of Maine and Boston.&nbsp; We<span style="font-family: Monaco;">’</span>re admittedly a little bit behind with our updates, so here<span style="font-family: Monaco;">’</span>s a snapshot of our adventures during the past few weeks on the quest for a clean ocean!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HVNM_roVjTY/UfqLlfaACwI/AAAAAAAAAyA/REvRDw4JG4A/s1600/IMG_7083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HVNM_roVjTY/UfqLlfaACwI/AAAAAAAAAyA/REvRDw4JG4A/s320/IMG_7083.jpg" width="240" /></a>After a big crew change in Rockland, Maine, we sailed to Hurricane Island.&nbsp; This was the beginning of two weeks of research with ﬁve brilliant scientists from the University of Exeter, England doing PONAR sediment grabs (keep your eyes out for a link to a great video) and Neuston tows! These “science under sail” methods make it possible to capture zooplankton and sediment dwelling animals to then ﬁnd whether or not they ingest microplastics.&nbsp; This research is exciting because it may show us if microplastics are entering the bottom levels of the food web.</div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">We were greeted at the Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership by fantastic hosts who taught us about the island<span style="font-family: Monaco;">ʼ</span>s sustainable infrastructure, including composting toilet systems and solar panels.&nbsp; Another important learning experience happened, too - the Brits had their ﬁrst s<span style="font-family: Monaco;">ʼ</span>mores during a 4<sup>th</sup>of July celebration!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />In Boothbay, Maine, we had the opportunity to meet up with our friends at the Boothbay Sea and Science Center who, like us, are working to get kids out on the water and involved in ocean research.&nbsp; We toured the Bigelow Labs, home to some awesome marine research from the smallest of ocean creatures on up.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Our next stop was Portland, Maine, where we participated in Portland Green Drinks.&nbsp; Though the Maine Yacht Center, where the event was hosted, is a bit of a journey out of town, more than 400 people came out to the event.&nbsp; We were blown away by their enthusiasm and it had the strongest attendance of any of our events yet!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">We continued on to the Isles of Shoals to research and had the chance to explore Star Island and learn about the local ecology.&nbsp; One evening, we hosted some of the Pelicans (Star Island staff) on American Promise, enjoying the best bioluminescent show we had ever seen!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Excited to proceed to our big week of education, we sailed down to Boston via Kittery and Gloucester, enjoying great weather and singing sea chanteys during a couple long days under sail.&nbsp; In Boston, we set up shop at the Courageous Sailing Center at the Charlestown Navy Yard.&nbsp; The beautiful view of Boston as we arrived put us all in agreement that Boston by boat is the way to go!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Our ﬁrst day of education was spent at Community Boating, arriving via the Charles River, which inspired one of our Mission Atlantic reports about the locks and seasonal ﬁsh ladder systems.&nbsp; During our education program at CBI, Hector (our ROV) recovered his ﬁrst key ever and we even found its owner. One of our students was inspired to make his own ROV at home. We always love to see what methods the kids are inspired to create to clean the oceans on their own!&nbsp; </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gbc8twhfNY0/UfUPE2CSl4I/AAAAAAAAAxU/odc5LR_zT34/s1600/Collin.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gbc8twhfNY0/UfUPE2CSl4I/AAAAAAAAAxU/odc5LR_zT34/s200/Collin.tiff" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Throughout the week, we worked with several hundred kids and their phenomenal instructors with the Courageous Sailing Center programs in Charlestown, Community Boating on the Charles, and at Jamaica Pond.&nbsp; Between boat tours and American Promise history lessons, Hector ﬂying time, surface dipnetting and dock tows, we were able to immerse the students in everything that Rozalia Project is about, “immerse” being the operative word.&nbsp; As Hector raised bilge tubes and plastic cups to the surface covered in sediment sludge, the kids were shown an accurate representation of ocean cleanup, which can sometimes get a bit messy!&nbsp; This theme continued on one of our favorite afternoons of surface cleanup with the program<span style="font-family: Monaco;">ʼ</span>s Instructors in Training.&nbsp; A torrential downpour in Boston presented the opportunity for a lesson in interconnectedness as all of the litter from the city<span style="font-family: Monaco;">ʼ</span>s streets washed down storm drains and bubbled up into the harbor.&nbsp; We only spent 30 minutes wrangling this trash but ended up grabbing 507 pieces in total!!&nbsp; An enormous proportion of our haul was made up by food wrappers, but each one had at least a couple of micro debris pieces hanging on for the ride.&nbsp; </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IWdPa6hM794/UfUVCu3rs5I/AAAAAAAAAxk/3zMF5KKEhK8/s1600/hectorwatching.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IWdPa6hM794/UfUVCu3rs5I/AAAAAAAAAxk/3zMF5KKEhK8/s200/hectorwatching.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">We're now back at our home base in Kittery, doing some ﬁnal research and </div><div class="MsoNormal">development on our Baleen Basker and fondly reminiscing about the past 4 weeks aboard American Promise.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">A huge thank you to our partners - we couldn't do it without you:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Rockland Public Dock<br /><br />The team from the University of Exeter: Dr. Tamara Galloway, Dr. Ceri Lewis, Dr. Andrew Watts, Stephanie Wright &amp; Matthew Cole</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Sam and crew at the Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Nicole at Bigelow Labs</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h1d5i3jWlZE/UfqLjK1hOeI/AAAAAAAAAx4/GfzOFT19X-M/s1600/IMG_7098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h1d5i3jWlZE/UfqLjK1hOeI/AAAAAAAAAx4/GfzOFT19X-M/s320/IMG_7098.jpg" width="240" /></a>Pauline, Ed and everyone at Boothbay Sea and Science Center</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Tom and Debrah Yale</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Maine Yacht Center<br /><br />Portland Green Drinks</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Star Island staff</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Kittery Point Yacht Yard</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Dave, Kate, Rebecca and crew at Courageous Sailing Center</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Ginger, Colin and crew at Community Boating, Inc.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">New England Aquarium Harbor Explorations summer camp</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Boston Harbor Association interns</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Berwind Family Foundation interns<br /><br />Bonnell Cove Foundation of the Cruising Club of America<br /><br />In-Kind sponsors: Interlux, Cloth n'Canvas, OCENS, Select Design, Scully Interactive</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">O<span style="font-family: Monaco;">ʼ</span>Connor family<br /><br />and this summer's funding partners: 11th Hour Racing, American Chemistry Council,&nbsp;Berwind Family Foundation, Kilroy Realty Corporation, Boat US Foundation, State of Maine Clean Marine Diesel Program/Maine Marine Trades, Lake Champlain Basin Program, WND&amp;WVS and our generous contributors to the Annual Fund</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Thanks for reading!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">For a clean ocean,</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><!--EndFragment--><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Rozalia Project interns AF, SC, and TM</div>Rozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7650883059528591391.post-53669837505128743902013-06-03T03:52:00.000-07:002013-06-03T18:26:57.948-07:00That was not exactly the plan<div class="p1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today's blog is directly from Rozalia Project's Mission Atlantic Mission Report 11.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Different perspectives on the same big day/Mission Report 11</span></b></div><div class="p3"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“American Princess, American Princess, this is US Coast Guard Sector New England, what is your location and have you contacted a marine salvage or towing company?”</span></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of all the conversations we could be having at 2230 hours (10:30pm) on Thursday May 30, this was not at the top of our list. The fact that the name of our beloved vessel, <i>American Promise</i>, came through the VHF as American Princess was, in the end, a good excuse for a chuckle as we were adrift just outside the mouth of the Piscataqua River. We were just 2.5 miles from our mooring with a 10 hour-old transmission that smelled like burnt chemicals and propellor that would not spin. The good news is that it was an ebb tide (pushing us back out to sea as opposed to on the beach), a flat sea (making the deck stable), we are a sailboat with sails ready to go, we have a calm, trained crew, the stars were pretty and we are members of Tow Boat US so Steve from Portsmouth Towboat was on his way.</span></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="p4"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2wZf6jv6Gzs/UaxyncPW7CI/AAAAAAAAAvg/29mdvayUJ5o/s1600/IMG_6530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2wZf6jv6Gzs/UaxyncPW7CI/AAAAAAAAAvg/29mdvayUJ5o/s200/IMG_6530.JPG" width="200" /></a><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While one might think that being adrift and getting towed in at midnight would be the most drama&nbsp; for the day, for many onboard, it was not. The day started in Portland, ME 12 hours before we attached Steve’s towing bridle to our bow. In the 48 miles between Portland and just outside of the “2KR” buoy at the entrance to Portsmouth Harbor where we shut the engine down, we had interns complete their very first ocean sail, navigate for the first time, get seasick for the first time and we all saw our first TWO basking sharks!</span></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We asked each of our interns to write two paragraphs about the day. Here is what they said...&nbsp;</span></span></div><div class="p4"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eVVsgwmC9LU/UaxzkPOkzUI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/s-oM7wgYtxk/s1600/IMG_6535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eVVsgwmC9LU/UaxzkPOkzUI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/s-oM7wgYtxk/s200/IMG_6535.jpg" width="150" /></a><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="p5"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Tara:<i> </i></b><i>Thursday was a very exciting day for me for two reasons, the first being, it was my first real trip on a boat!&nbsp; Aside from a few short, 3-hour trips I’ve taken with school, I’ve never really been on a boat.&nbsp; Besides being seasick for part of the ride, it was AWESOME!&nbsp; There is certainly something special about the way a sailboat glides through the water.&nbsp; Also, being in the middle of the ocean at nightfall and being able to see every star possible is a very cool experience.</i></span></span></div><div class="p6"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"><i></i></span><br /></span></div><div class="p5"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fotJ6T-XDP0/UaxynSI1jJI/AAAAAAAAAvk/Ts0adSiRbak/s1600/IMG_6538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fotJ6T-XDP0/UaxynSI1jJI/AAAAAAAAAvk/Ts0adSiRbak/s200/IMG_6538.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"><i>Though I’m going to school for marine biology and will be graduating next year, I really haven’t seen much wildlife except for what lives in the intertidal zone, so you can only imagine my excitement when we saw TWO basking sharks while underway!&nbsp; Their fins were huge!&nbsp; One of them ended up following us for a bit and the other popped up right next to the boat while we were heeled over.&nbsp; We could actually see the tip of the second one’s tail fin sticking out of the water; we estimate he might have been about 15 feet long. I hope your Thursday was as exciting as mine!</i></span></span></div><div class="p6"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p5"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vT9TMawEMyU/Uaxzj6-AheI/AAAAAAAAAwM/9m742HFE2dM/s1600/IMG_6543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vT9TMawEMyU/Uaxzj6-AheI/AAAAAAAAAwM/9m742HFE2dM/s200/IMG_6543.jpg" width="150" /></a><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Christian</b>: <i>You never realize how much you take a level surface for granted until you try cooking a meal on a boat that is under sail. I was able to have this interesting experience last night while I was cooking the very gourmet meal of noodle soup and bread with butter for the crew of American Promise.</i></span></span></div><div class="p7"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"><i></i></span><br /></span></div><div class="p5"><span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I witnessed pots and pans flying from one side of the galley to the other, all while trying to balance liquids so they wouldn’t tip over.&nbsp; I have heard about living on the edge, but never living at an angle…&nbsp; I found it to be quite a fun challenge.</span></i></span></div><div class="p7"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p5"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9eZEzBFrNTw/UaxziYkp_-I/AAAAAAAAAwE/cUuvRhjVuHc/s1600/IMG_6534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9eZEzBFrNTw/UaxziYkp_-I/AAAAAAAAAwE/cUuvRhjVuHc/s200/IMG_6534.jpg" width="150" /></a><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Michael</b>: <i>Last night was a totally new experience for me. When we were motoring towards Kittery our transmission pooped the bed. Before the crap-out, the engine had been surging and making strange noises. When the RPMs and the engine drone fell out of sync our Captain, James, went below only to find smoke in the transmission compartment. We quickly shut everything down and radioed for assistance.</i></span></span></div><div class="p7"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"><i></i></span><br /></span></div><div class="p5"><span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Drifting in a quiet and black sea was eerie yet calming. I was assigned as the spotter on the foredeck, looking for lobster traps, buoys, and other vessels. Once it was clear that we were safe, I occupied myself with the spectacular stars.</span></i></span></div><div class="p6"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KcgxbVUrQXk/UaxyoT3p7CI/AAAAAAAAAvw/ewJYyzqkB1o/s1600/IMG_6539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KcgxbVUrQXk/UaxyoT3p7CI/AAAAAAAAAvw/ewJYyzqkB1o/s200/IMG_6539.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p5"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Kate</b>: <i>As a dinghy sailor, from the Chesapeake Bay, I had never really sailed in the ocean before. It was an exhilarating experience that I would gladly repeat minus the slight seasickness. Getting to steer and tack the boat was a huge difference compared to laser sailing. The boat’s reaction time is much slower so I had to be careful not to over-steer the boat.</i></span></span></div><div class="p7"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"><i></i></span><br /></span></div><div class="p5"><span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Raising and lowering the sails was a huge process that required almost the whole crew’s effort. Sailing after dark was also a new experience for me. Stargazing in the middle of the ocean was amazing and watching the beautiful sunset as we were underway was a priceless experience and my favorite part of our journey to Kittery.</span></i></span></div><div class="p6"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p5"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5B5hK6O3LPM/UaxynQz8gkI/AAAAAAAAAv0/TuP8dwcMY2c/s1600/IMG_6531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5B5hK6O3LPM/UaxynQz8gkI/AAAAAAAAAv0/TuP8dwcMY2c/s200/IMG_6531.jpg" width="150" /></a><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Kaleigh</b>: <i>Dear Beloved Voyage Journal, As I gnawed on my first ginger chew, Captain James (we don’t call him that) said we were ready to sail. With all hands on deck, I struggled to establish my sea legs as we handled lines, cranked winches, and wrestled the gigantic white sheets to begin my first time as a crewmember on a sailboat. Voila! We were underway, and it was smooth sailing—such smooth sailing that as the vessel rocked slowly from side to side my eyes closed and my head fell to my chest as I lounged on the side of the cockpit. Bobbing back up, slightly embarrassed, I noticed the<br />same dozing demeanor on the faces of each of my fellow interns and my worry vanished.&nbsp;</i></span></span></div><div class="p7"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"><i></i></span><br /></span></div><div class="p5"><span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The voyage was marked by two thrilling basking shark spottings (!), navigation by numbered buoy markers, and a viewing of the eerie Boone Island as James retold the historical Spanish trade boat wreck story that nuances the land with haunted helplessness. Vivid sunset images eased my mind as my head hit the pillow in my cozy bunk aboard American Promise.</span></i></span></div><div class="p7"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div><div class="p8"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My observations... emergency training is priceless; when it seems something is wrong, have a thorough check - it probably is; and the natural beauty of the sea, stars and a few basking sharks is enough to eclipse seasickness, the ignominy of being towed and replace frustration with determination.</span></span></div><div class="p8"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good seeing the whole picture,</span></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rozalia Project for a Clean Ocean</span></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today’s Report by: rzm and the crew</span></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Report tags: all ages, inside, outside, expedition story, different perspectives on the same day</span></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">**To see other MIssion Reports, go to:&nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.rozaliaproject.org/mission_atlantic_docs/" target="_blank">http://www.rozaliaproject.org/mission_atlantic_docs/ &nbsp;</a></span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.rozaliaproject.org/mission_atlantic_docs/" target="_blank"><br /></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you would like to start receiving the Mission Atlantic Mission Reports, they go out almost every day during the week! Go to: </span><a href="http://www.rozaliaproject.org/contact/mission_atlantic.php" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.rozaliaproject.org/contact/mission_atlantic.php</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> to sign up (it is free).</span><br /><br /><div class="p9"><span class="s1"></span><br /></div>Rozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7650883059528591391.post-25196568591382163352013-05-20T18:29:00.001-07:002013-05-20T18:29:10.792-07:00Rozalia Project Intern Blog: Every Piece Counts<i><b>This blog comes from Mike Capper, heading to U. of Minnesota to study History and earn a teaching certificate. He is a sailor from Lake Minnetonka and wrote this blog from onboard American Promise on the first day of his internship with Rozalia Project.</b></i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><b><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GnSLB8-hTcc/UZrNMBF-CFI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/QjG-td5TJmw/s1600/mike+cappy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GnSLB8-hTcc/UZrNMBF-CFI/AAAAAAAAAvQ/QjG-td5TJmw/s200/mike+cappy.jpg" width="200" /></a></b></i></div><br /><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dr7KkqdSc-Y/UZrLq_kLz9I/AAAAAAAAAuo/6MyxV6vr2ek/s1600/DSC07460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dr7KkqdSc-Y/UZrLq_kLz9I/AAAAAAAAAuo/6MyxV6vr2ek/s200/DSC07460.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I first became aware of the Rozalia Project in the summer of 2011 when Rachael Miller visited the Wayzata Community Sailing Center where I coach, and she stayed at my parent’s house. Rachael worked with the children and the staff spreading awareness about marine debris through hands-on activities, lecture, and video: her work left tremendous impacts upon me, and more importantly, the young sailors. She impressed upon us the dire situation that our oceans are now facing because of human neglect and abuse.</span><br /><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eWcsM_xb-JA/UZrLtRJl5LI/AAAAAAAAAuw/Ck5rFbCmZ4Q/s1600/DSC07463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eWcsM_xb-JA/UZrLtRJl5LI/AAAAAAAAAuw/Ck5rFbCmZ4Q/s200/DSC07463.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Due to Rachael, my own actions and attitude have changed drastically: I used to just pass marine debris and street garbage by without a second thought, but today I will go out of my way to pick up trash wherever I find it. In fact, I am sure to carry a bag to the lakes to pick up trash: the amount I can get from just a casual stroll along the shore is staggering. People will stop and thank me, yet do nothing themselves, so I have decided to take along an extra bag or two and say, “you can make a difference too, every piece counts.” Sadly, although sometimes rather conveniently, there are bags already littering the shore to put trash in: I end up using trash to get rid of other trash. She made me realize how intimately life is tied to the health of the ocean, and not just marine animals or the creatures that eat them, but for all life on Earth. All life is tied to the cycles and health of the world’s watery surface through the cycles of the rain, the weather, the tides, and the currents. Our garbage and pollution is steadily chocking and poisoning our precious water, the one thing that allows life to flourish on this blue gem of a planet. This is all the more nerve racking because Earth is the only planet that we have, and we are suffocating it. I have joined the Rozalia Project because I truly believe in their mission through education and awareness.</span><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gdtzHEMZ78U/UZrLvrG2OpI/AAAAAAAAAu4/LoLZytJv0Rc/s1600/DSC07466.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gdtzHEMZ78U/UZrLvrG2OpI/AAAAAAAAAu4/LoLZytJv0Rc/s200/DSC07466.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ubIOO0864JE/UZrLwPb0yEI/AAAAAAAAAu8/S4BFfti6cxs/s1600/DSC07469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ubIOO0864JE/UZrLwPb0yEI/AAAAAAAAAu8/S4BFfti6cxs/s200/DSC07469.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I have seen the fruits of this important work right in my community with our sailors. One of the last sixteen year olds (at the time) who I thought would ever care much about anything beyond himself, pleasantly surprised my dad (Wayzata Community Sailing Center Executive Director Cappy Capper) and me by picking up trash during race practices and handing it to us at the finish line multiple times since Rachael’s visit, which also translated into other sailors doing the same. He would even enthusiastically shout “marine debris!” and go out of his way to retrieve it. More significantly, he continues to take responsibility for the lakes and waterways that he sails on as a senior at Wayzata High School, even taking time to educate other sailors and competitors. Young men and women like that young sailor are what give me hope for a better future for out planet: they show us that to facilitate change and to shape a brighter future, all you need is creative education.</span><br /><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The work that the Rozalia Project is undertaking is vital to our planet’s, and our species’, health, and I am proud to be a part of it. I know that we are making a difference, even though it is only a small amount at the moment: it is the small trickle that will split the rock and turn into a flood.</span>Rozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7650883059528591391.post-79911293548155601592013-05-13T16:37:00.000-07:002013-05-13T16:39:32.869-07:00Rozalia Project Intern Blog:<b><i>Today's intern blog comes from Vermonter Gigi Veve. Gigi studies Zoology at the University of Vermont and has had some unique experiences with orcas in Argentina! We hope she is a lucky charm when she joins us on American Promise and we all get to see some amazing orcas.</i></b><br /><div><br /></div><div><div class="p1"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a1OSxCdVhYo/UZF5AqkdSfI/AAAAAAAAAuY/LxIj5tP14v4/s1600/gigi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a1OSxCdVhYo/UZF5AqkdSfI/AAAAAAAAAuY/LxIj5tP14v4/s200/gigi.jpg" width="200" /></a>When I was a young girl I watched Moby Dick with my dad, who was a former dive master and adventurer of the sea. I will never forget the disgust and hopelessness that I felt towards the sperm whales that were getting slaughtered for their bodily possessions. Around the age of 10 my parents brought me to Sea World in Florida, there, once again I witnessed unbelievably incredible species being exploited, purely for human entertainment; all of it seemed so inhumane. I knew even at that time that these huge and beautiful creatures were not meant to be treated like this, they were meant to be in the wild. I knew then that no matter what it took I was going to spend the rest of my life doing whatever I possibly could to save these creatures from harm.</div><div class="p1"><br /></div><div class="p1">Killer whales have always impressed me in ways that no other species have. I was lucky enough to have parents with a passion for wildlife photography and I was given the opportunity to visit the Punta Norte Orca Research facility in Peninsula Valdes, Argentina. For two weeks I was completely detached from the world, living on a ranch that ran on power from an onsite generator running from sunrise to sunset. In the two weeks we dreamed about being able to witness an attack. This is the only place in the world where these majestic creatures beach themselves in order to attack sea lion colonies along the shores, and sure enough we got to see one. That moment, 7am Juan and I (Juan was one of the scientists and the owner of the ranch) sprinting with our cameras in hand as quietly as we could (so we would not disturb the sea lion colonies) got on our hands and knees and once we were close enough, inched our ways to the shoreline. Mel, one of the male killer whales, was circling the area eying the colony, especially the oblivious pups that were playing along the shore. Before I knew it the whole crew had caught up and we were all in a line waiting for it… then it happened. Mel’s complete body came out of the water and snatched one of the pups from the shore. All I could hear was the constant clicking of everybody’s cameras going off, and that’s when I put mine down. I figured this was the one chance to be able to see this for my own eyes, and I was not letting a camera get in the way of such a breath taking experience.</div><div class="p1"><br /></div><div class="p1">Having this experience at the age of 16 was monumental in my decision to spend the rest of my life working with, and doing my best to save the whales of the world. When I learned about the Rozalia Project I was instantly attracted to its overall goal of cleaning up the ocean debris. In order to save the species of the ocean we must keep it clean. Learning in classes and witnessing first hand the affects of inadequate debris disposal of humans, has pushed me to want to make the world a far cleaner place for this generation and well into the future. Having the opportunity to be an intern for Rozalia Project will allow me to continue my life goal and share it with others who share the same passion as I do</div><div class="p2"><br /></div></div>Rozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7650883059528591391.post-14120849309618211682013-05-09T04:42:00.000-07:002013-05-09T04:42:04.857-07:00Rozalia Project Intern Blog: picking up marine debris by rowboat <br /><div class="p1"><b><i>This intern blog comes from Heather Harrison who is pursuing her Masters of Science in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Advocacy for Social Justice and Sustainability at Antioch University of New England after completing her undergraduate work at Eckerd College in Florida. Heather has spent some time alone on an island...cleaning the waters by rowboat!</i></b></div><div class="p1"><br /></div><div class="p1"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-owU_1CsqQF4/UYuKW4ZUaoI/AAAAAAAAAt4/U0hH9NnI8wI/s1600/Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-owU_1CsqQF4/UYuKW4ZUaoI/AAAAAAAAAt4/U0hH9NnI8wI/s200/Image.jpg" width="200" /></a>When I began my freshman year at college my roommate lent me a keychain from Ripley's Aquarium in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. A heavy, metal keepsake, it contained the aquarium logo on one side, and the following profound quote stamped into the reverse:</div><div class="p2"><br /></div><div class="p3"><i>“Those who have never seen themselves surrounded on all sides by the sea can never possess an idea of the world, and of their relation to it.” – Goethe</i></div><div class="p3"><i><br /></i></div><div class="p1"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Oel6zC8OmjQ/UYuKNrrA0JI/AAAAAAAAAtA/9gWbNeMvsiM/s1600/Image+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Oel6zC8OmjQ/UYuKNrrA0JI/AAAAAAAAAtA/9gWbNeMvsiM/s200/Image+1.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--jXOpQlS5KA/UYuKPHTdWMI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/I_yw4B1YuMo/s1600/Image+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--jXOpQlS5KA/UYuKPHTdWMI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/I_yw4B1YuMo/s200/Image+3.jpg" width="200" /></a>Having grown up and spent most of my life along the coast of Maine, I felt the impact of these words immediately but did not realize how closely this quote would continue to align with the path I would later follow. Upon completing college I found myself literally surrounded on all sides by the sea when I took a summer job as a steward on Damariscove Island Nature Preserve, five miles off the coast of Maine. Everyday, a ceaseless and tireless task included marine debris cleanup along the rocky shoreline. It is truly amazing how much trash can wash ashore with every cycle of the tide. A favorite method of obtaining garbage from the island's cove was by dinghy, which offered three different strategies for cleanup: "drive-by" catching in the water by hand; use of the oars to extend my reach; and parking the dinghy as I searched for footing amidst the slippery, seaweed-covered rocks. The sense of urgency for cleaning up this trash was never-ending. If I didn't pick it up when I saw it, it was sure to be washed out with the next tide and become an unsuspecting hazard for creatures of land and sea. This was always my primary reason for picking up trash. Not because I didn't like the look of it (which I don't), but because I was concerned about what animal might be harmed by ingesting the garbage or getting caught in it.&nbsp;</div><div class="p2"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JUma7-sMIMU/UYuKKpL_D5I/AAAAAAAAAs4/icYi-hSWmJ0/s1600/Image+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JUma7-sMIMU/UYuKKpL_D5I/AAAAAAAAAs4/icYi-hSWmJ0/s200/Image+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="p1"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0r1CZrW3oZ8/UYuKOcvSaGI/AAAAAAAAAtI/2pKnsPPsmYE/s1600/Image+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0r1CZrW3oZ8/UYuKOcvSaGI/AAAAAAAAAtI/2pKnsPPsmYE/s200/Image+5.jpg" width="200" /></a>I was exposed to this firsthand when I interned at the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary in Florida and with the Tampa Bay National Wildlife Refuges. The amount of birds I witnessed harmed by fishing line and hooks was staggering. Unfortunately, many of these birds would be found too late, tangled up and suspended in mangrove trees on otherwise pristine islands. It left me with a heavy heart when I witnessed these tragedies, while on the other hand it was immensely rewarding to save those that could be untangled and watch them fly away with renewed freedom. It is because of these experiences that I consider marine debris cleanup to be extremely important and imperative to maintain on a daily basis.</div><div class="p1"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dTMpU4F7Qzw/UYuKUMTvoSI/AAAAAAAAAto/t1SqgoeAiG8/s1600/Image+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dTMpU4F7Qzw/UYuKUMTvoSI/AAAAAAAAAto/t1SqgoeAiG8/s200/Image+7.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />While volunteering much of my time with the <a href="http://www.oceanconservancy.org/"><span class="s1">Ocean Conservancy</span></a> to clean up shoreline trash, and with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/oceanswide.maine"><span class="s1">OceansWide</span></a> (of Maine) to use remotely operated vehicles to educate children about the importance of protecting our oceans, I continually find myself on the path of marine conservation. When not working with an organization, I can be located wading through the shallow waters of nearby beaches, gathering bag-fulls of trash on my own. Those who witness this often thank me for my actions but never partake in the cleanup themselves. This makes me wonder what more can be done to inspire people to care for the environment. Even if everyone just picked up two handfuls of trash whenever they walk along a beach, it could have an incredible impact. In an effort to urge beach-goers to do just this, I once made a sign for a school project and placed it along the shoreline of a public park. It stayed up for a few months but eventually disappeared. Perhaps swept out to sea by harsh weather, rolling tides, thoughtless folks, the eventual way of all manmade objects along the shore. If people could be influenced to care, to see themselves surrounded on all sides by an ocean of trash, to see the birds and marine mammals losing their lives by our carelessness, we could achieve momentous environmental strides. I still have that keychain with the Goethe quote and keep those words close to my consciousness. To share this vision, to see our relation with the sea, will be my effort with Rozalia. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</div>Rozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7650883059528591391.post-45875290680499093662013-05-06T05:21:00.000-07:002013-05-06T05:21:29.162-07:00Rozalia Project Intern Blog: "Throw it in the street and stay inside." <br /><div class="p1"><span class="s1"> </span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1"><b><i>This intern blog is from Glynnis Eldridge, from New York City, whose time teaching in India taught her about people, human rights, the environment and that change is not easy, but can happen.</i></b></span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>In a room on a rooftop in land locked Nana, Rajasthan, I spent the spare time of my 19</span><span class="s2"><sup>th</sup></span><span class="s1"> summer. I taught when I wasn’t there; I tutored English to the women I lived with, and taught Social Science, Environmental Science, and English classes to children enrolled in the elementary school that met downstairs. In my spare time, I tried to teach myself: I wrote and read a little, but more than anything, I spent my time peering from the rooftop, and researching human rights. I learned through observations about Nana’s waste management, sewage systems, and the caste system; how people depended on each other there (some more than others. Some had unbelievable responsibilities instilled in them by way of the unfair social hierarchy that is the caste system). I learned through PDFs made available through spotty internet connections that, like freedom (from slavery and torture), access to clean drinking water and sanitation, and access to education, are international human rights, and are equally important. These were not all available to everyone I was living with. From one person to their neighbor, there were imbalances.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p2"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UU89kkjdvG0/UYeeAowIeeI/AAAAAAAAAsQ/qrjF4q4uB3U/s1600/vie+from+roof+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UU89kkjdvG0/UYeeAowIeeI/AAAAAAAAAsQ/qrjF4q4uB3U/s200/vie+from+roof+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p3"><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s1"><i>Right:&nbsp;</i>The view from my room on the roof. Open sewers are visible on the far side of the street.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p5"><span class="s1"></span><br /></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1">There was the boy who worked without breaks. He lived in a stable lined with rice bags and grasses, and was paid in food scraps. He would peer through openings in the walls of my classrooms. I encouraged him to participate in after school activities when he had time. There seemed to be some breakdown of the caste system between him and the school kids. Sometimes I would see him being punished; caught ‘spying’ on my classes, pulled by his ear, kicked in the back, pushed forward. Once he showed me a long cut on the back of his head, which he had gotten, he told me through a kind of gesturing that crossed our language barrier, by trying to cut his own hair. I had brought a box of antibiotic infused bandaids with me from the US, but they were all bright colors. I put a purple one on the back of his head. When I later walked over to the other side of the house, I found the bandaid discarded on the floor. I was scolded through a language barrier crossing gesturing that everyone seemed to understand; a lot of head shaking, finger wagging, harsh tones in voices, like a dog given commands. When I knew him, he was 14. My coworkers told me he had been working for the family who lived in the school building for at least seven years.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p3"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aWQLc6-slrI/UYed2qc06zI/AAAAAAAAAsA/ARTh9JBEUms/s1600/family+on+grass+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aWQLc6-slrI/UYed2qc06zI/AAAAAAAAAsA/ARTh9JBEUms/s200/family+on+grass+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="s1"></span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s1"><i>Right:&nbsp;</i>My family in Nana, helping each other up the side of a hill surrounding a small, spilling reservoir, after a storm.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p5"><span class="s1"></span><br /></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>There were the women I lived with who pulled their headscarves over their faces when they saw their in-laws, or when they left the house. Where I lived, women were not given the liberty to make decisions for themselves about when or where to run errands, to visit with friends or family, to travel, to leave their [husband’s family’s] homes. While I was living there, I was more or less given that same lack of liberty; the headmaster of the school instructed me in our first meeting to, “stay home… for your own safety.”&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>It was monsoon season while I was there. The summers in India are known to be “rough”; while experiencing the effects of long standing drought, I see storm clouds passing not so far away. I wonder how they miss us, if storm clouds might be long and narrow in shape. There will be power outages for three hours every day because of the drought. The fans that keep malaria baring mosquitos out of my room will turn off with the electricity, and I will be covered in bites when the power turns on, after the sun sets, in the middle of the night. When the storms do come through, the power shuts off again. Bats fly into my room. There is lightening and our neighbors light candles and nearly burn their house down when they jump, startled by thunder claps.</span></div><div class="p2"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Sz2BAjDW-g0/UYed4--nziI/AAAAAAAAAsY/Qpqhl5-5DbY/s1600/reservoir+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Sz2BAjDW-g0/UYed4--nziI/AAAAAAAAAsY/Qpqhl5-5DbY/s200/reservoir+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>In Nana, when the storms hit, the rain comes down in sheets and lasts for what feels like hours. There are floods. The open sewers lining every street overflow and wash into the rivers with the rain. Upon visiting the reservoir for much of the state of Rajasthan, it is easy to see the runoff from all of the floods I’ve thus far experienced. At it’s mouth, the water is thick and brown: it’s surface is speckled with garbage and pieces of clothing.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">&nbsp; &nbsp;</span></div><div class="p4"><span class="s1"><i>Right (both photos):&nbsp;</i>The mouth of the reservoir for much of Rajasthan.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p5"><span class="s1"></span><br /></div><div class="p2"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rjySJti_0cQ/UYed3ly5LfI/AAAAAAAAAsI/131oqAMnoOc/s1600/res+2+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rjySJti_0cQ/UYed3ly5LfI/AAAAAAAAAsI/131oqAMnoOc/s200/res+2+copy.jpg" width="189" /></a><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>One of my coworkers tells me that her family is sick from the water. I offer her some of the purifying tablets I brought with me from the states, but know this would only be a short term solution.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p2"><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>The headmaster of the school tells me not to drink the tap water. The doctor I met with before leaving the States told me the same thing, and not to eat unpeelable fruits or vegetables, smoothies made with ice, or anything from a vendor. Already, I feel a moral discrepancy. The headmaster of the school cannot pay me for my volunteer work, and instead offers me a place to stay, and enough shipments of bottled water to last me through my stay at the school. She tells me not to share these 1liter bottles of Dasani. I am a stranger here, and I don’t know what to do. I want to live not as an outsider. Everyone else is getting sick by drinking water from the tap, from wading through their own pollution and the bacteria that grew in their open sewers. I drink the bottled water. I share. I am</span><span class="s3"> not careful about keeping the tap water out of my nose or mouth or ears when I shower or wash my face. The family I stay with tells me to use the bottled water when I brush my teeth. I don’t, sometimes. How can I know what it feels like for water to hurt me from the inside out, when I’m abiding by rules of ignorance?&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p7"><span class="s1"></span></div><div class="p9"><span class="s1"></span><br /></div><div class="p10"><span class="s1">I stepped out of the frame of the curriculum I had been given for my courses, and decided to incorporate what I could into my lessons about ways to combat the real life problems that I saw; things bigger than language. It started out as a small field trip. I took the fifth graders out to the street one day. I brought with us our classroom’s garbage can and enough pairs of gloves for every student. My assignment to them was simple: <i>let’s look around us, and figure out what doesn’t belong. Let’s pick up the garbage, together.&nbsp;</i></span></div><div class="p7"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QQR32iMAMnA/UYed6GD2gEI/AAAAAAAAAsg/rOTfOkH3BDg/s1600/stream+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QQR32iMAMnA/UYed6GD2gEI/AAAAAAAAAsg/rOTfOkH3BDg/s200/stream+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="s1"><i></i></span></div><div class="p7"><br /></div><div class="p8"><span class="s1"><i>Right:&nbsp;</i>A polluted stream that ran through the heart of Nana.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p9"><span class="s1"></span><br /></div><div class="p10"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pbusWdkFNUI/UYed2ymwmbI/AAAAAAAAAsM/3O_yArfkj2I/s1600/map+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pbusWdkFNUI/UYed2ymwmbI/AAAAAAAAAsM/3O_yArfkj2I/s200/map+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Within five minutes, the garbage can was filled. It was then that we were met with our next problem: <i>what now?</i> There was no waste disposal system in place there, then. We compiled the waste in garbage bags I had brought with me. I asked my students to decide what to do next; where to take the garbage? Should we get rid of it? If so, how? I told the students that the garbage could not be thrown back into the road, or anywhere where it would could get washed into the river. It cannot end up in the reservoir.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p7"><br /></div><div class="p8"><span class="s1"><i>Right:&nbsp;</i>A sculptural map of the region served by the reservoir.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p9"><span class="s1"></span><br /></div><div class="p10"><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>When I first arrived in Nana, I had some things with me I had meant to throw away when I was on the train up. I asked the elderly man who lived in the house where I stayed, where I should put my garbage, and he laughed at me, and then said, “throw it in the street.” &nbsp;</span></div><div class="p7"><span class="s1"></span><br /></div><div class="p7"><span class="s1"> </span></div><div class="p8"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--jD2JEZcEbA/UYed21SZu7I/AAAAAAAAAsE/u4abwt8shj4/s1600/NYC+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--jD2JEZcEbA/UYed21SZu7I/AAAAAAAAAsE/u4abwt8shj4/s200/NYC+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="s1"><i>Right:&nbsp;</i>One way New Yorkers take out their trash, by comparison.</span></div><div class="p6"><span class="s1"></span><br /></div><div class="p10"><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>The students I worked with did not come up with a final decision during my time with them, about what to do with the garbage they collected. They asked to do this activity when we met every day, and told me that they did it on their own time outside of class. They told me that they talked about the project with their friends and families outside of the school, and that everyone they had spoken with was receptive to the project. By the time I left the school, I felt that the students truly believed that they were personally responsible for the beautification, upkeep, and health of their neighborhoods.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p10"><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>It is my hope that by participating as a summer Intern with the Rozalia Project, I can learn and reflect on the ways young people view their responsibilities for the health of this planet. I am curious about the solutions that so many of these people might already have. I am hopeful that the students the Rozalia Project meets this summer will (come to) view oceans, rivers, shore lines, neighborhoods, and general cleans up as an interesting, feasible, and exciting undertakings.&nbsp;</span></div><br /> <div class="p10"><span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>In cities that are nestled against oceans, like New York, Boston, Seattle, San Francisco, it seems to be easier to realize just how close we are to affecting the seas and the rest of the world. In landlocked places like Nana, perhaps it is less easy to make such a connection. Location should be irrelevant. What should be at the forefront of our minds, no matter where we live, is the health of our home. There is water everywhere, and it always leads back to the oceans. What we put in is shared, dispersed. We can also put in effort, and explicit concern for our global, individual, and interpersonal health now and moving forward. We can share that with our neighbors, and they can share, and they can share.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></div>Rozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7650883059528591391.post-92032543627044766812013-05-02T14:30:00.001-07:002013-05-02T14:30:14.116-07:00Rozalia Intern Blog: From hide and seek with crabs to Pick-Uppalooza <br /><div class="p1"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KpozPvLfo0Y/UYLaqcmm5eI/AAAAAAAAArU/H7dzdmmcrPw/s1600/403203_10150644694282938_224372697_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KpozPvLfo0Y/UYLaqcmm5eI/AAAAAAAAArU/H7dzdmmcrPw/s1600/403203_10150644694282938_224372697_n.jpg" height="200" width="125" /></a><b><i><span class="s1"></span>Today's intern blog comes from Marina Duchesneau, soon to be graduating from Plymouth State University! Marina is joining us for our pick cleanup session in Frenchboro toward the end of the summer and from her blog, looks like she will be a great addition to the cleanup team</i></b></div><b><i><br /></i></b><br /> <div class="p2"><span class="s1">I grew up in central Massachusetts, and was at least an hour away from the ocean. Whenever I would get the chance I would drive to the nearest beach just to unwind and enjoy the salty air and fried food on the boardwalk. I have always wanted to be closer to the ocean, so I’m extremely excited that I’ll be spending part of my summer interning for the Rozalia Project, and Mamomet Conservation Sciences. I cant wait to participate in&nbsp;both opportunities.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></div><div class="p2"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lF6TYK0fHi8/UYLapgowJtI/AAAAAAAAArI/L3VUZYyxgLY/s1600/247098_10150255554982938_6966100_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lF6TYK0fHi8/UYLapgowJtI/AAAAAAAAArI/L3VUZYyxgLY/s1600/247098_10150255554982938_6966100_n.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><span class="s1">I’ve always been curious of the ocean, and always loved being near it; especially when there was a visible sea critter I could study. One of my first memories of the beach were crabs trying to hide from all the other children, including myself. Everyone was so curious of how they dug into the sand and defended themselves, and all I wanted to do was protect them. I’ve always had this passion for protecting species and the environment. I learned about the North Pacific Gyre freshman year of college and never forgot about it. It always stuck out in my mind and I would think to myself why and how did it all end up there. I’ve been fascinated with it ever since and have gotten more involved with clean up programs in my area. I participated in </span><span class="s2">Plymouth Pick-Uppalooza this </span><span class="s1">past year and collected a total of ten bags of trash with the help of my friends. I still collect pieces everyday to and from my walk to campus. Every little bit matters and makes a difference.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></div><div class="p2"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6rsk8Arn55w/UYLaqHWuR4I/AAAAAAAAArQ/Tv1k1qr5Uuk/s1600/250381_10150255540062938_1549723_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6rsk8Arn55w/UYLaqHWuR4I/AAAAAAAAArQ/Tv1k1qr5Uuk/s1600/250381_10150255540062938_1549723_n.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><span class="s1">I’ll be graduating Plymouth State University this May and couldn’t be more excited to go out and make the world a better place. I have enjoyed several classes such as: Biology, Conservation, Managing the Earths Resources, and many more. I’ve only taken one class that related to the ocean, and traveled to Acadia National Park for it. As a class we successfully constructed an inter-tidal study on all the organisms we found. I fell in love automatically and wanted to learn more. I believe knowledge is key in anything you do, therefore I’m eager to work with the Rozalia Project.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></div><div class="p2"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-45qaDbo0QXE/UYLarV73deI/AAAAAAAAArg/FLdePByJ0sg/s1600/485268_10150804302987938_635922731_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-45qaDbo0QXE/UYLarV73deI/AAAAAAAAArg/FLdePByJ0sg/s1600/485268_10150804302987938_635922731_n.jpg" height="200" width="199" /></a><span class="s1">A year after Acadia I studied abroad in Torino, Italy. I helped create a sustainable plan for a 16</span><span class="s3"><sup>th</sup></span><span class="s1"> century castle. Throughout the 4 months I was there I helped St. John International University come up with ideas for another school that focused on sustainability. This wasn’t marine related nor was I near the ocean but whenever I got the chance I traveled towards the coast. I spent time traveling to Ireland, England, Germany, Spain, and more of Italy. Overall I would like to leave this earth a better place than I first found it. Given the opportunity to intern with the Rozalia Project I will be able to physically make a difference and educate others about our ocean’s dirty secret.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"></span><br /></div>Rozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7650883059528591391.post-37770141650735832882013-04-29T14:47:00.000-07:002013-04-29T14:47:04.420-07:00Rozalia Project Intern Blog: A leatherback turtle's necropsy inspiring action <br /><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><b><i>This intern blog comes from Shira Catlin. Shira is a sophomore at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine where is is working towards a BA in Human Ecology with a focus in Marine Science and a teaching certification in elementary education. Shira was recommended by our partners at the Boat US Foundation where she also interns and we are excited to have her onboard!</i></b></span></div><div class="p1"><br /></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">I grew up in Western Massachusetts, surrounded by mountains, rivers, and lakes, but unfortunately not the ocean. Through family vacations and class field trips I was fortunate enough to spend time on the coast learning about periwinkles, humpback whales, and phytoplankton.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-anZ_xJX3pp4/UX7ozSwNJEI/AAAAAAAAAp0/80Nqx3YvhEw/s1600/Leatherback+Necropsy1+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-anZ_xJX3pp4/UX7ozSwNJEI/AAAAAAAAAp0/80Nqx3YvhEw/s200/Leatherback+Necropsy1+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="s1">Through my studies at College of the Atlantic I get to work with a marine mammal research group called Allied Whale that conducts research in the Gulf of Maine. The group was founded in 1972 by the former president Steve Katona along with students, staff and faculty. The organization has grown and is now part of the Northeast Marine Regional Stranding Network. Allied Whale curates the humpback and fin whale catalogues of the North Atlantic. Allied Whale responds to strandings from Rockport, ME to the eastern Canadian coast.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">This past August Allied Whale was notified of a floating--and what seemed to be dead --Leatherback turtle. It is unusual for Allied Whale to respond to turtle strandings. The majority of calls Allied Whale responds to are about seal pups or whales.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m3Z-kXdq4RI/UX7ozgtSaFI/AAAAAAAAAp8/lUffuzFpMm0/s1600/Leatherback2+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m3Z-kXdq4RI/UX7ozgtSaFI/AAAAAAAAAp8/lUffuzFpMm0/s200/Leatherback2+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="s1">On August 22</span><span class="s2"><sup>nd</sup></span><span class="s1">, Allied Whale took the college’s research boat to the coast off of Schoodic Point near Winterport, Maine to assess the leatherback turtle. The turtle was deceased and was transported back to the college where a necropsy would be performed once the school year resumed.&nbsp;</span>Allied Whale has a permit to conduct necropsies to determine cause of death as well as to collect data. Work-study students and volunteers take part in operation. A necropsy is an autopsy performed on an animal. If a deceased animal comes in during the winter or at times when there are not enough volunteers or students present to conduct a necropsy the animals are put into a freezer and are necropsied at a later date.</div><div class="p1"><br /></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">Although the smell might be horrendous, and it can be gory, necropsies are exciting, educational, and engaging. The procedures are completed outside along the main driveway of the college. Observers are encouraged to stop and take pictures, ask questions, and learn about the process they are witnessing.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">During the leatherback necropsy there were many professors excited to learn about what the inside of the turtle looked like. In addition, the local elementary school arranged for the sixth grade class to come in small groups and observe the procedure.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lda06IRZ0cM/UX7ozMdmxyI/AAAAAAAAApw/GaWUydMSQ2s/s1600/Leatherback3+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lda06IRZ0cM/UX7ozMdmxyI/AAAAAAAAApw/GaWUydMSQ2s/s200/Leatherback3+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="s1">This was the first necropsy I was participating in and the fact that it was on a turtle was very exciting. I began as a work-study student for Allied Whale this past fall and this was one of the first necropsies of the season. There were many questions that I and many other people were wondering before the start of the necropsy. Probably the most pressing one was, “How did the turtle die?” The only way to answer this question&nbsp;was through performing the necropsy.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">Necropsies vary in their length depending on the size of the animal and how much data needs to be gathered. Taking pictures and documenting information also adds to the amount of time needed to complete the task. In this circumstance, the necropsy took almost a full day.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">In the final stretch of the procedure the stomach and the esophagus were opened up, and our prediction for the cause of death became known. Inside the stomach the only content was a sheet of plastic. This moment of “ah-ha” was not positive nor was it happy. The sixth graders observing were seeing first-hand how pollutants such as plastic can be ingested by marine animals.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7uwWDu3VLnY/UX7o0T4nTaI/AAAAAAAAAqI/uUUTXDsQ_wo/s1600/Leatherback4+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7uwWDu3VLnY/UX7o0T4nTaI/AAAAAAAAAqI/uUUTXDsQ_wo/s200/Leatherback4+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="s1">I imagined the turtle floating along and mistaking the plastic for a piece of seaweed, simply opening it’s mouth thinking it was eating another satisfying meal but in reality it was consuming a material that would become trapped in it’s stomach. This would cause the turtle to have a false sense of fullness, leading to a decrease in it’s intake of nutrition.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HuvleezlN6U/UX7o1JMgW7I/AAAAAAAAAqQ/6c-Vg1g4lPk/s1600/Leatherback5+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HuvleezlN6U/UX7o1JMgW7I/AAAAAAAAAqQ/6c-Vg1g4lPk/s200/Leatherback5+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="s1">Having the experience of taking part in this necropsy and being able to see the sixth graders learning first hand about the damage marine debris can do to an animal reinforced my desire to take my interest in education and marine science to help increase understanding about why we need to keep the oceans free of toxins of all kinds.</span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1"><br /></span></div><div class="p1"><span class="s1">The Rozalia Project combines my love of the marine environment and my enthusiasm for education. I am looking forward to the summer aboard The American Promise where together we will teach kids about marine debris and spread knowledge about how we can collaborate to prevent debris from ending up in the ocean and having detrimental effects on the environment and marine ecology like the sheet of plastic had on the unassuming turtle found near Winterport, Maine.</span></div>Rozalia Project for a Clean Oceannoreply@blogger.com2